Human monkeypox expansion from the endemic to non-endemic regions: Control measures

Hashaam Jamil; Waleed Tariq; Muhammad Junaid Tahir; Rabia Salman Mahfooz; Muhammad Sohaib Asghar; Ali Ahmed

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104048

Human monkeypox expansion from the endemic to non-endemic regions: Control measures

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2022 Jun 23:79:104048. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2022.104048. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Hashaam Jamil¹, Waleed Tariq¹, Muhammad Junaid Tahir¹, Rabia Salman Mahfooz², Muhammad Sohaib Asghar³, Ali Ahmed⁴

Affiliations

¹ Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.
² Shalamar Institute of Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan.
³ Dow University of Health Sciences-Ojha Campus, Karachi, Pakistan.
⁴ School of Pharmacy, Monash University, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Abstract

The recent monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries is a rare event. It is a zoonosis with clinical features similar to smallpox, transmitting from animal to human and human to human. Since 2000, the number of monkeypox cases in humans had increased in African countries, resulting in its spread to the other parts of the world. On May 26, 2022 World Health Organization has confirmed 120 cases of monkeypox in 23 non-endemic countries. The decreased immunity to the Orthopoxviruses, human migration from endemic to non-endemic regions, genetic mutations in the viral genome, and reduced surveillance may contribute to the recent outbreaks. A multi-pronged approach comprising health education, tracking human migration, developing diagnostic facilities, and an effective vaccine could prevent transmission and pathogenicity.

Keywords: Epidemic; Infection; Public health; Vaccination; Virology; Zoonosis.