Monkeypox virus outbreak

2022 - 5 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "New York Magazine"

What the World Needed Now Was a Monkeypox Outbreak (New York Magazine)

Cases of monkeypox, a virus typically confined to West and Central Africa, have recently turned up in several countries, including the U.K., Spain, ...

While acknowledging that the outbreak is unusual, experts stressed that any risk to the public is low, given monkeypox’s relatively low rate of contagiousness. Since then, eight more cases have been confirmed in the U.K., all of them among people who had no obvious connection to the first one. In the U.K., the first case was confirmed on May 7 in a man who had been in Nigeria and had developed a rash before returning. One strain of monkeypox is highly deadly, with a fatality rate of about 10 percent; another strain, which is the one detected in the U.K., causes death in less than 1 percent of cases. Health authorities said he was in “good condition” and “poses no risk to the public.” In 2003, a Midwest outbreak tied to travel in Ghana affected more than 70 people, though only two fell seriously ill and no one died.

Monkeypox spread 'unusual' but risk to Canadians is 'low,' officials say (Globalnews.ca)

Just under a 'couple dozen of people' are under investigation for monkeypox in Canada after the country confirmed its first cases this week, ...

The WHO estimates there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen African countries every year. There is no cure for the virus, but most people recover from a monkeypox infection within a few weeks. “The fact that it’s now appearing in several countries in Europe as well as here in Canada, we need to learn more about it. It’s unusual for the world to see these many cases reported in different countries outside of Africa.” … We need to be open there may be something else evolving and changing.” Monkeypox is an orthopoxvirus that causes disease, typically transmitted to humans from animals.

Canada considering smallpox vaccine for monkeypox cases, says ... (CP24 Toronto's Breaking News)

The risk posed by monkeypox is low, but nearly everyone in Canada is susceptible because routine vaccination against smallpox ended decades ago, top public ...

It's unusual for the world to see this many cases reported in different countries outside of Africa,” Tam said. That includes through direct contact with an infected person's respiratory droplets, bodily fluids or sores, and is not very contagious in a typical social setting. It is also linked to the vaccinia virus used in the smallpox vaccine. That virus causes smallpox, which the World Health Organization declared eradicated around the globe in 1980. On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, Massachusetts has reported a rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently had traveled to Canada, and investigators are looking into whether it is connected to recent cases in Europe. (Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP) A smattering of cases in the United Kingdom prompted that country to begin offering the vaccine to health workers and close contacts of confirmed cases.

Canadian government eyeing vaccines after monkeypox outbreak in ... (CTV Montreal)

The federal government said it is exploring the possibility of using the smallpox vaccine to protect Quebecers from the recent outbreak of the disease's ...

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has leased more than 110,000 sq. 4 hr ago 4 hr ago 4 hr ago 4 hr ago 4 hr ago 4 hr ago 4 hr ago On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. 4 hr ago They also stress that it is less contagious than other viral infections, like the flu and COVID-19. "We have some doses and we are always ready.

Canada investigating 'a couple dozen' suspected monkeypox cases ... (CBC.ca)

Canada's chief public health officer said Friday provincial health authorities are investigating "a couple dozen" people who may be infected with monkeypox ...

Smallpox and monkeypox belong to the same "family" of viruses, said Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada's deputy chief public health officer. The time from infection to symptoms is usually seven to 14 days but it can range from five to 21 days. "We don't really know the extent to which the spread has occurred in Canada. So that is an active investigation," Tam said. "Stigmatizing groups of people because of a disease is never acceptable. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared it globally eradicated in 1979. "It's unusual for the world to see this many cases reported in different countries outside of Africa. So I think we'll let people know as soon as we get more information."

'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in ... (CTV News)

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two ...

The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Vladimir Putin's regime on Friday including a ban on importing Russian vodka, caviar and diamonds. On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. Tam said Canada currently has a "limited supply" of this vaccine, but could not disclose the exact number due to "security reasons." There is no proven treatment for the virus infection, but the smallpox vaccine is known to also protect against monkeypox, with a greater than 85 per cent efficacy. "I think at the beginning of any outbreak, we should cast the net wide to try and understand the transmission routes," Tam said. A rash usually begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, developing into distinct, raised bumps that then become filled with fluid or pus. "It's unusual for the world to see this many cases reported in different countries outside of Africa and… The disease was first found in colonies of monkeys used for research. A growing number of countries, including Canada, the U.S., Spain, Portugal, and the U.K, are reporting an unusual outbreak of monkeypox.

Monkeypox outbreaks may have quietly spread unnoticed for ... (CBC.ca)

Health officials are investigating about two dozen suspected cases of monkeypox across Canada, looking into possible chains of transmission for the virus.

"And the larger the problem becomes, the worse the position that we're starting from. We don't need to be terrified about that particular future," said Hanage. So a person develops the rash and it is at that point that they become infectious." "The research has been underfunded for ages. Canada has been tight-lipped on its stockpile of smallpox vaccines, despite purchasing more than $30 million US worth of it last year that is expected to be delivered in 2023. "At the moment, we don't know that that's the case with this. "So far we do know that not many of these individuals are connected to travel to Africa where the disease is usually seen. Failing that, "we do have a vaccine," she said. "It looks very much as if this is a lineage which has evolved the ability for human-to-human transmission. "It's certainly behaving differently in the sense that it's much more widespread. "As soon as places started looking for it, they found it, which suggests not that it's spreading very fast but that it's been there for some time in relatively large numbers," he said. "The global spread is concerning.