Monkeypox infection can have severe consequences for the foetus, newborns, and the mother
While the effects of monkeypox infection during pregnancy are unknown, little evidence suggests that infection may have negative consequences for the foetus or newborn infant, as well as the mother, according to the World Health Organization’s newest study (WHO).
According to the World Health Organization, the present danger to the general public is minimal. Health workers are at risk if they come into contact with a case without wearing the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent transmission; while the risk of health-care-associated infections has not been observed in this epidemic, it has been recorded in the past.
According to the report, “Should monkeypox begin to spread more widely to and within more vulnerable groups, there is the potential for greater health impact as the risk of severe disease and mortality is recognized to be higher in immunocompromised individuals, including persons with poorly controlled HIV infection.”
However, according to WHO, all individuals found in newly impacted countries whose samples were verified by PCR have been classified as West African clade infected.
It’s worth noting that there are two known clades of monkeypox virus, one of which was initially discovered in West Africa (WA) and the other in the Congo Basin (CB). Monkeypox cases have been observed in numerous places of the world, and the WA clade has previously been linked to a reduced overall case fatality ratio (CFR). To present, all cases found in newly impacted countries have been identified as West African clade infections.
Monkeypox cases have been reported to WHO from 42 member nations across five WHO regions since January 1, 2022. (Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Pacific). As of June 15, WHO had received reports of 2,103 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case, including one fatality.
An outbreak is defined as the confirmation of one case of monkeypox in a nation. The surprising presence of monkeypox in multiple localities, despite the absence of epidemiological linkages to places where monkeypox has previously been documented, shows that transmission may have remained unnoticed for some time.
Given that this is the first time that many monkeypox cases and clusters have been reported concurrently in many countries in widely disparate WHO geographical areas, WHO rates the risk as moderate at the global level, balanced against the fact that mortality has remained low in the current outbreak.
Patients with a rash that proceeds in sequential phases of macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, scabs, at the same stage of development throughout all afflicted regions of the body, and may be linked with fever, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, and muscular pains, should be on the lookout in all nations.
Many people are experiencing uncommon symptoms during this epidemic, such as a localised rash with only one lesion. Some individuals may have sexually transmitted infections, which should be checked for and treated as needed. These people may show up in a variety of community and health-care settings, including primary and secondary care, fever clinics, sexual health services, infectious disease units, obstetrics and gynaecology, emergency departments, and dermatological clinics, to name a few.
Anyone who fits the profile of a suspected case should be offered to test. WHO also stated that it is actively monitoring the situation and is working with member nations and partners to promote international coordination.
