NEWS. . . BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The Philippines has recorded its first case of mox this year, the country’s branch confirmed.
It is not yet known whether a strain of the Clade 1 variant is to blame for the immediate spread, but the 33-year-old Filipino had not traveled outside the country.
Meanwhile, the NHS has begun stockpiling the mpox vaccine as cases of the virus spread around the world.
The Clade 1 mpox variant is spreading more rapidly and has a higher mortality rate than the milder edition of the outbreak recorded in Europe, Australia, the United States and many other countries in 2022.
This second, deadlier strain is now endemic in Central Africa and is the origin of the variant recently discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo. So far, in Europe, mpox has spread to Sweden. Another case has since been reported in Pakistan.
Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency related to the spread of mpox.
But what is the threat of the new Clado 1 variant spreading in the United Kingdom?
Lately, there have been no cases of clade 1 mpox in the United Kingdom and Dr. Meera Chand, deputy director of the UKHSA, said: “The threat to the United Kingdom population lately is low.
“However, plans are being made to be prepared for any cases we may encounter in the UK.
“This includes making sure that clinicians are aware of and able to recognize cases, that immediate testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of inflamed Americans and the prevention of further transmission. “
This follows comments from Professor Paul Hunter, Professor of Medicine at the University of East Anglia, who said: “If I arrived in the UK today after recently getting mpox, it would take about two weeks before, on average, maybe a little longer “. before symptoms spread, and perhaps a few days later, before seeking care.
“So, there are most likely already cases here, but it’s not certain. “
Government rules on mpox state that it is diagnosed by a PCR test to detect the virus in a viral swab taken from one or more vesicles or ulcers. Swabs must be sent to a viral delivery medium.
Here’s how to take the test:
1. Be sure to wear the appropriate minimum PPE as above.
2. Collect a viral swab of viral culture medium or viral delivery medium from an open wound or the surface of a vesicle. If other sores are present, make sure the pattern is coming from a blister, ulcer, or crusted blister. Rub the swab over the lesion and place it in the collection tube. In case of pharyngeal lesions, a throat swab will also be taken. Label the tube with the patient’s name and date of birth, date and location of collection. Unlabeled tubes cannot be processed.
3. A viral throat swab would possibly be performed for high-risk contacts of a proven or highly probable case who has developed systemic symptoms but does not have a rash or lesions from which samples can be taken. Even if the throat swab is negative, the user continues to be tracked and isolated as instructed by their local fitness coverage team, and will be re-evaluated and swabbed if other symptoms appear.
4. Specimens for investigation of other infections, including sexually transmitted infections, must be packaged separately, with separate request forms.
5. Samples will be sent to the same usual local laboratory. To test for other infections, such as HSV, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), or syphilis, follow general local procedures.
A 33-year-old man has mpox in the Philippines, the first case recorded in the country this year.
It is still known if it is a strain of the Clad 1 variant responsible for the immediate spread of the virus.
Albert Domingo, a spokesman for the U. S. Department of Health (DOH), said: “We are waiting for the effects of sequencing and will update them as soon as they are available.
“Symptoms began more than a week ago with fever, followed 4 days later by the appearance of a distinctive rash on the face, back, neck, trunk, groin, as well as on the palms and soles of the feet. “
The Philippine case is the laboratory-confirmed case since July 2022 and the first since December 2023.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) last week declared a global physical emergency due to the spread of mpox, some would possibly wonder if the virus may also cause a new lockdown in the United Kingdom and other countries.
The declaration of a global health emergency (mpox) is now a foreign fear and poses a threat to other countries around the world.
But it also means that countries will benefit from increased emergency financing, greater government coordination and vaccine procurement, avoiding conditions such as lockdown.
The number R was a household term when the coronavirus pandemic took over the world.
An R of one means that the inflamed user transmits the disease to another user on average.
When the R number is less than one, the virus disappears, but the higher the R number is, the faster it spreads.
According to Michael Marks, a professor of medicine, because there doesn’t seem to be much transmission from other people who are inflamed but don’t yet have symptoms, the R number is rarely much higher than one. This means that a global pandemic is unlikely.
He said: “It is like Covid or flu, where the number of herbs is 4 or five and it takes a huge effort to reduce it.
“Good public health interventions will especially be able to offset the spread. The problem is that some people with mild symptoms probably won’t assume it’s mpox.
One expert said it was “very likely” that the new Clade 1 variant of mpox had already spread in Britain.
Professor Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, said: “In general, between one and two weeks is the norm.
“So if they were to arrive in the United Kingdom today after contracting mox recently, it would take them about two weeks, on average, maybe a little longer, before they expanded symptoms, and maybe a few days later, before they seek care. “
“So, there are most likely already cases here, but it’s not certain. “
The NHS has stockpiled the mpox vaccine and warned of symptoms of the new Clade 1 variant.
This variant spreads faster and has a higher mortality rate compared to the milder edition of the outbreak that was recorded in Europe, Australia, the United States and many other countries in 2022, and is basically transmitted through sexual contact.
Outside Africa, the mpox virus is found in Sweden and has also been detected in Pakistan.
The Clade 1 variant was recently discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is now endemic in many parts of Central Africa.
People get vaccinated against mpox if they travel to an African country affected by the most recent outbreak.
This is the opinion of the EU public body, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The framework recommended its recommendation in light of the increasing spread of clade 1, a strain of mpox dominant in Congo and now detected in 16 African countries.
The ECDC said the threat of mpox spreading is very low, although the virus is “very likely” in Europe.
In a threat assessment, the company said: “The probability of infection with MPXV class I for EU/EEA citizens traveling or living in affected spaces and having close contact with affected communities is high, while the probability Infection is low when touched. Contact with affected communities is avoided.
“The severity of the disease will be low. Overall, the threat to those populations is moderate and low, respectively.
Experts said the new strain is “associated with more severe disease and higher death rates” than that of the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
– But what is the new strain and what does it mean for the United Kingdom?
The new strain of mpox is known as clade 1b and emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year, according to the WHO.
The disease is now spreading to neighboring countries in Africa, mainly through sexual networks, the WHO said, and one case has been detected in Europe.
Where was the first European case detected?
The Swedish health government announced on Thursday that there had been a proven case of clade 1b.
The country’s public fitness company said a patient had sought physical care in Stockholm and a stopover in Africa was believed to have occurred.
– What does British fitness say?
Before the announcement of the case in Sweden, and after the declaration of clade 1b as a global emergency by the WHO, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared itself on alert for any case of the virus.
Authorities said there have been no cases in the United Kingdom lately and that the threat to the population is low.
However, the UK is preparing for any possible cases by ensuring doctors are aware of mox and recognize cases quickly.
Rapid testing is also being made available, while protocols are developed to ensure potential patients are cared for and prevent transmission.
People visiting virus-affected areas in Africa deserve to be vaccinated, according to new advice.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control was vaccinated following the emergence of a new strain of the virus.
The disease can be spread by close contact with people who are inflamed.
Those who have already been vaccinated in the future will likely only need a booster shot.
Pakistan’s Health Ministry said there had been one known case of monkeypox in the country.
A 34-year-old man is in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
They added that the variant strain is unknown, but samples have been sent to Islamabad for analysis.
The government is “better prepared” for monkeypox to become a global emergency, a fitness expert said.
Michael Weekes, professor of viral immunology at the University of Cambridge, said: “Monkeypox will continue to make a comeback; Governments have learned this.
“They needed to offer more funding, more vaccines and an adequate global reaction after the disease spreads in 2022. But this time the strain is more deadly. “
“We have learned our lesson. “
The new strain of mpox is causing global fear because it can spread through close contact between animals and humans and between people.
Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain, and rash.
Prior to spring 2022, cases were detected in the United Kingdom, but linked to countries where the disease is endemic in West or Central Africa.
In May of the same year, sustained transmission of the virus was identified, which led to a giant epidemic that basically affected homosexual or bisexual men.
A British vaccination program was introduced that summer and ended in July 2023.
There is no direct cure for Mpox, but doctors try to treat its symptoms, get rid of the rash, and manage the pain.
It is spread by physical contact, such as kissing or sex, by animals that cook, by infected tissues, and by pregnant women who can pass it on to the fetus.
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