Mode of transmission, symptoms and evolution of the disease, treatment and history of the disease: find all the information here.
–
Method of transmission
In the current outbreak, the transmission of the disease is mainly from human to human, through close contact with an infected person, through:
- the skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth, genitals, etc.),
- blisters and skin lesions (infected secretions or blood),
- respiratory tract secretions or large respiratory droplets, or
- indirect contact with recently contaminated objects (e.g. bedding, clothes, sheets, clothes, hygiene items, doorknobs).
It is currently unclear whether monkeypox can also be transmitted through sperm or vaginal secretions. However, it has been shown that the virus can be transmitted by direct contact with the skin and mucous membranes, even during sexual intercourse. This is why sexual contact with an infected person increases the likelihood of human-to-human transmission. Currently, men who have sex with men in particular (but not exclusively) appear to be at additional risk of infection.
In principle, the disease can be transmitted from all people through close contact. The exact modes of transmission observed in the current outbreaks are being studied.
–
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of the disease are:
- acute skin rash or isolated lesion (blisters then pustules and finally scabs, as with smallpox);
- headache ;
- sudden onset of fever (> 38.5 ° C);
- lymphadenopathy (swollen glands);
- myalgia (muscle and body pain);
- backache ;
- asthenia (great weakness);
- proctitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the rectum);
- balanitis (inflammation of the glans penis).
–
Course of the disease
The incubation period is usually 5 to 21 days. The period of infectivity is not yet known definitively. It is likely to begin with the onset of symptoms and subside abruptly as the rash has disappeared and a new layer of skin has formed.
Symptoms and disease course are usually mild and may differ from the symptoms described in endemic areas. The course of the disease can be oligosymptomatic, without the typical rashes described in the previous cases. Small or even single lesions (in the genital or perianal area) or at different stages of development can also occur. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) also appear in some patients, which should be detected and treated.
There are currently no known long-term consequences. Immunocompromised people, infants, children and pregnant women appear to be at greater risk for a severe course.
–
Treatment
In collaboration with the Army Pharmacy, the Confederation plans to acquire 500 treatment units of the antiviral drug Tecovirimat. This is a drug not authorized in Switzerland. The Society of Competent Medical Discipline is currently developing recommendations for future use.
–
History of the disease
The first human presence of monkeypox was detected in a child in 1970, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sporadic outbreaks have since been reported, mainly in Central and West Africa. Outside of Africa, infections have so far been rarely detected in humans, and the rare cases had a history of travel to an at-risk area in Central or West Africa.
Monkeypox virus (monkey pox) is a zoonosis that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family. Rodents native to the African continent appear to be a natural reservoir for the virus.
The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes vaccinia, cowpox, smallpox, and many other poxviruses.
Genomic sequencing identified two phylogenetically distinct clades (variants). Since 12 August 2022, these clades have been designated by WHO as clade I (Congo Basin, Central Africa) and clade II (West Africa). Sequencing data shows that clade II is predominantly circulating in the outbreak currently affecting Europe and North America.
In the current outbreak, the transmission of the disease is mainly from human to human, through close contact with an infected person, through:
- the skin or mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth, genitals, etc.),
- blisters and skin lesions (infected secretions or blood),
- respiratory tract secretions or large respiratory droplets, or
- indirect contact with recently contaminated objects (e.g. bedding, clothes, sheets, clothes, hygiene items, doorknobs).
It is currently unclear whether monkeypox can also be transmitted through sperm or vaginal secretions. However, it has been shown that the virus can be transmitted by direct contact with the skin and mucous membranes, even during sexual intercourse. This is why sexual contact with an infected person increases the likelihood of human-to-human transmission. Currently, men who have sex with men in particular (but not exclusively) appear to be at additional risk of infection.
In principle, the disease can be transmitted from all people through close contact. The exact modes of transmission observed in the current outbreaks are being studied.
–
