(Washington) The United States is preparing to vaccinate people who have been in close contact with patients with monkeypox, as the country, which now has five probable or confirmed cases, expects to see their number increase.
Posted at 5:01 p.m.
Updated at 6:01 p.m.
“We want to maximize the distribution of vaccines to those who we know would benefit,” Jennifer McQuiston, a manager at the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), said Monday.
“That is, those who have been in contact with a known monkeypox patient, such as caregivers, very close personal contacts, especially those at risk of developing a severe case of the disease,” he said. she said at a press conference.
One case has been confirmed in Massachusetts and four others are about to be analyzed, but considered very probable (one in New York, one in Florida, two in Utah). All are men who have traveled outside the United States.
The disease, a less dangerous cousin of smallpox eradicated for about forty years, begins with a high fever and quickly evolves into a rash, with the formation of scabs.
What intrigues and worries the experts is the simultaneous appearance of cases in many countries, particularly in Europe, without being associated with returns from African countries where the disease is endemic.
Response
US authorities confirmed that the sequencing of the virus detected in Massachusetts matched that identified in a patient in Portugal, and that the strain was the one present in West Africa, the less serious of the two in circulation.
Most infected people recover spontaneously within two to four weeks, without specific treatment.
But the American authorities are still preparing the response.
Two vaccines against smallpox authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be used. The first, ACAM2000, is a live attenuated vaccine, not recommended for immunocompromised people. The United States has 100 million doses.
Because of “potentially significant” side effects, its large-scale distribution would require “a real discussion”, estimated Jennifer McQuiston.
The second, Jynneos, is also a live vaccine, but not replicative, and therefore considered safer. The United States only has 1,000 doses, but that number is expected to “rise rapidly in the coming weeks,” according to the official.
According to her, data show that these two vaccines can help prevent the development of the disease if they are administered quickly after exposure.
She also stressed that the risk of contamination remained generally low for the population.
Among the populations most at risk are immunocompromised people and those with particular skin conditions such as eczema, according to John Brooks, an epidemiologist.
Rashes
The rashes caused by monkeypox lead to lesions that can be centered in certain areas or spread all over the body. In some cases, during the first phase of the disease, the rashes may appear on the genital or perianal areas.
Transmission of the virus occurs through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person who has an active lesion, or through respiratory droplets from someone with oral lesions and in close proximity to another person for some time.
While scientists are concerned that the growing number of cases could potentially indicate a new type of transmission, there is so far no concrete evidence supporting this theory, said Jennifer McQuiston.
Thus, the increase in the number of cases could be linked to certain propagating events within the gay community, explaining a higher prevalence among homosexual and bisexual men.
But that does “in no way” mean, according to John Brooks, that “the current risk of exposure to monkeypox is unique to the gay and bisexual community.”
The CDC is also developing treatment guidelines to enable the deployment of the antivirals tecovirimat and brincidofovir, both of which are already licensed for the treatment of smallpox.