monkeypox

i am so glad to read that the director-general of World Health Organization (WHO) is somebody with enough balls to say this is a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) when the committee of advisors were not able to reach a consensus. 

been seeing the word "monkeypox" in the medical journal articles that comes to my email, but didn't really think much of it. because it came across as unusual, but nothing to be alarmed about. which is not true. just because it is more likely to affect a subset of the population, does not make it any less critical. 

what have i read on medscape? 

• cases reported globally is rising and likely to be underestimated
• being reported in children and pregnant women - which was what happened in the initial phases of the HIV pandemic
• greatest burden is currently reported in 12 countries in Europe and in USA
• (removing this point as its emphasis is not helping to alleviate the problem)
• disease severity is perceived to be low
• modes of transmission not fully understood but it includes sex, animal-to-human (zoonotic), human-to-human from respiratory secretions, close contact with skin lesions, and contaminated fomites (objects or materials likely to carry infection such as clothes, utensils and furniture)
• reported to WHO as of last friday, 15,328 laboratory confirmed cases, 72 probable cases, 5 deaths, 72 cases in children, 23 cases in children 0-4 years old 

symptoms as per google: single genital lesions and sores on the mouth or anus/ rash after fever/ lethargy/ muscle aches & pains/ headache/ swelling of lymph nodes

we might be seeing a pandemic in the middle of another pandemic, or we might not. we see the cases. we know it exists. we can prevent a pandemic. so why not? 

Picture from MedPage Today - 23 Aug 2022