Monkeypox also reaches Great Britain and France: how are the cases and what the specialists are saying

Twenty cases of monkeypox in Great Britain and one confirmed and isolated case in France. Cases of the disease in the UK have more than doubled, with 11 more announced just this Friday. But The concern is there are others unspecified infections.

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This morning I updated the G7 health ministers on what we know so far. in most cases they are gentle and I can confirm that we got more vaccine doses which is effective against monkeypox.

Smallpox is extinct as a disease but in Great Britain they have vaccines, which can be applied and reduce the chance of contracting it by 85 percent.

a mystery

Exactly why the UK’s biggest outbreak was sparked it is a mystery: usually the disease is sporadic and is related to travel to parts of Africawhere it is endemic.

But it is “likely” that the latest cases will spread within the UK.

Viral infection is similar to smallpox and usually causes mild illness. Most people recover within a few weeks.

One in two people infected this Friday lives in the same household as the others, and is being treated in hospital, the UK Health Security Agency said.

It came as Australia reported its first case of monkeypox a traveler in his 30swho recently returned from Britain.

The man’s case was confirmed on Friday, after he arrived in Melbourne with symptoms earlier this week.

A second possible infection was also reported in a man in his 40s, who had recently traveled to Europe and he had a mild illness a few days after arriving in Sydney.

In France too

In France there is none until this Thursday. But from a suspected case to a confirmed case, it happened in less than 24 hours. In fact, it is the first patient to suffer from monkeypox in the country, the General Directorate of Health announced on Friday.

This is a 29 -year -old man living in Île-de-France, “with no history of traveling to a country where the virus spreads”. “Her condition was not considered serious and she was isolated from her home,” they reported.

It’s being done “an epidemiological thorough investigation”And“ people who came into close contact with this patient were counted, ”health authorities reported.

In recent days, several dozen suspected or confirmed cases have been identified in several countries in Europe (United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal) and North America (United States and Canada).

An endemic disease in Africa

The monkeypox virus (“monkeypox” in English) has been endemic in some regions of Africa since the late 1970s.

Although epidemics have already occurred outside of Africa, such a situation in so many Western countries today it is “unprecedented” and “unusual”, recognized by the Ministry of Health.

Another element that inspires vigilance: it seems patients are infected in their home country, such as in the United Kingdom. This may also be the case for the first patient diagnosed in France, as he or she has never traveled to a country where the virus is spreading.

“It’s surprising, because in the past these are usually cases imported from West or Central Africa”, Observed epidemiologist Éric D’Ortenzio.

how it spreads

Between people, this virus can be passed through close contact and breathing drops. Simple aerosol delivery, as with SARS-CoV-2, is also possible, according to some experts. But there is a lack of data on this topic.

however, no need to be alarmed because this virus is generally benign. If its mortality rate could reach 10% in some areas and at some time in Africa, it would be lower in countries with a developed health system.

“In the United States, in 72 cases during the last epidemic in 2003, there was no serious form or death,” recalled virologist Antoine Gessain, a professor at the Pasteur Institute and knowledgeable on the subject, on Thursday. In addition, the type of virus currently in circulation may be less virulent.

However, this prevalence should be closely monitored understand its origin especially in some cases are members of the homosexual communityand manage to hide it as soon as possible.

In France, the General Directorate of Health asked health professionals, in a message sent Thursday night, “monitoring” and systematic reporting of any cases suspicious.

Symptoms

The indicative symptoms begin fever, muscle aches, or headache, then skin lesions (including genitals) may appear. Then, the PCR test allows to confirm, or not, the virus in question.

“A priori, they are not contagious before clinical signs appear,” says Alexandra Mailles, an epidemiologist at Public Health France.

The High Health Authority, the Higher Council for Public Health and the National Drug Safety Agency are in contact to find out what treatments and vaccines are available in France and will be sufficient if necessary.

Although there is no specific and readily available product for monkeypox, some that are available can have side effects, such as the smallpox vaccine.

Paris, correspondent

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