Health and Research / Monkeypox: The 'new' pandemic?

About two years ago, the outbreak of the SARS-COV-2 was announced. The disease spread rapidly around the world, causing several deaths and morbidities, ultimately resulting in a global lockdown. Various interventions, including rapid vaccine development and distribution, have helped to contain the spread of this disease to a reasonable extent and have progressively reduced global activity to normal. However, it seems that the world is about to embark on another "viral" war as the spread of another virus - the Monkeypox virus, is currently a subject of global concern.

What exactly is this virus and why has it become an international concern?

Monkeypox is an increasingly common zoonotic virus disease in most countries around the world, and it can be transmitted from animals to humans. The monkeypox virus was first detected in samples obtained from a colony of laboratory monkeys in 1958. This was perhaps how the disease got its name. Monkeypox was subsequently confirmed in humans, the first case identified in DR Congo, having been reported in 1970 in a 9-month-old boy.

The disease is currently a worldwide problem, with most Central African and West African communities experiencing an endemic outbreak in the last twenty years. The first identification of the disease outside Africa was reported in 2003 in the US, eventually leading to an outbreak with over 70 identified cases. Since 1970, eleven countries have been confirmed to be endemic to the infection, and currently, several non-endemic countries have repeatedly reported the disease incidences.

A report by WHO confirmed over 200 cases in Nigeria over the past five years. Between the 13th and 21st of May 2022, 120 cases were reported in non-endemic countries, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, the UK, the US, France, and six others, with 92 of these cases confirmed by laboratory tests.

Unfortunately, people have taken the outbreak of this virus as an opportunity to stigmatize and cause harm to potential primates, apes, and similar species. It is wrongly spread that the monkey is the source of this virus. Reports tell an entirely different story, as a report shows that monkeys are not the reservoirs of this pathogen and that the most likely reservoirs are rodents. 

Monkeypox is caused by a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus and Poxviridae family. There are two genetic clades of the virus: the West African clade and the Congo Basin (Central African) clade. The virus can be transmitted via contact with infected people or animals, contaminated respiratory droplets, and other items carrying the causative agent. 

The monkeypox disease has been discovered to be more prevalent in children. The major symptoms of the infection include fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. There could also be complications in severe cases, including secondary bacterial infections.

In most of the observed cases, the symptoms have been found to only last for three to four weeks, after which self-recovery begins to take place. Monkeypox has an incubation period of 5-21 days, which means that an infected individual may not be aware of the infection for almost a week. A PCR test is required for an accurate diagnosis of the disease. 

Tecovirimat, an antiviral medication developed against smallpox, is being considered an effective therapeutic agent against the monkeypox virus, but this is not in wide circulation yet. 

The smallpox vaccine was discovered to be 85% effective in preventing the disease. The study on the effect of the smallpox vaccine in combating the virus became necessary after the disease was found to be fairly linked to smallpox which has similar symptoms. This is probably because it is also in the Orthopoxvirus genus.

Animals such as monkeys, rodents, squirrels, and other wildlife, including apes and birds, are the dominant carriers of the virus. Hence, it is highly necessary for animals that will be slaughtered for consumption to be thoroughly screened, as there's no better time to emphasize the need for meat inspection than now.

Personal hygiene routines such as handwashing could also play a significant role in preventing the onset of this infection, and halting further spread of the disease.

By Samuel Apooyin