The monkeypox outbreak spreads at an alarming rate. Ideally, it should have been bitten suddenly when the first cases appeared in May and June outside of West and Central Africa, where smallpox has been endemic for decades. Now, the number of cases has expanded to more than 11,000, including 1,470 in the United States, and is expected to increase in the coming weeks. The lessons of the coronavirus pandemic need to be taken into account and should lead to a faster response.
Although monkeypox has sometimes caused serious illness in humans, the virus is not as transmissible or deadly as coronavirus. Smallpox is usually transmitted by close contact with lesions and skin, or with objects that have been in contact with an infected person, such as sheets or towels. Most of the cases reported so far have involved men who have reported recent sexual intercourse with one or more male partners, though not exclusively, according to the World Health Organization. This suggests that “for now there is no sustained transmission signal beyond these networks,” the agency says. But this should not lead to complacency. There is a danger that the disease will spread to this community or that it could spread to other populations.
Every effort should be made to fight the virus where it is found. It is not a gay disease, but a disease circulating in the gay community, a vital but difficult distinction that public health officials face. The HIV / AIDS pandemic showed the disastrous impact of stigma, which deterred people from getting services. Public health officials must be careful to avoid discrimination and stigma while aggressively monitoring the disease. It is not enough to wait for patients to enter health clinics. Public health agencies should partner with LGBTQ and AIDS organizations to bring testing and screening to the community. A recent account in The Post found that the first testing efforts in the United States were far behind, although it now appears that the number of tests is increasing. One limitation is that current tests do not detect initial symptoms, but only check for lesions, which appear after an incubation period of about one or two weeks.
Another worrying problem is the shortage of vaccines. Two are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Both were created to fight smallpox, but also to protect them from smallpox. One of them, the two-dose Jynneos, developed by Bavarian Nordic, a small Danish company, produces fewer side effects, is easier to administer and can be given to more people. But the factory to produce it has been closed since last year and could only resume operations this summer. There is a limited supply of the vaccine in the US national stock and in Europe. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said On Friday, this priority distribution in the United States at this time will be targeted at areas with the highest risk patients. However, existing supplies are not enough to meet demand; a new expansion will be needed as soon as possible. The second vaccine, ACAM2000, carries a higher risk of serious side effects.
Monkeypox does not threaten everyone as covid-19 did. This is not much consolation. We are witnessing a serious outbreak that demands an emergency response before it does even more damage.
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