The US CDC global monkeypox (MPX) outbreak data to Aug 2 puts the current total at more than 25,000 cases from 76 countries that have not historically reported the infection. The USA now has the highest total of 6,325 cases, followed by Spain, Germany and UK. Five deaths have been recorded over the past week in non-endemic countries: two in Spain and one each in Brazil, Peru and India (ex-UAE). The two fatal cases in Spain were unlinked, occurring in previously healthy men aged 31 and 44 who succumbed to encephalitis. The WHO director-general said last week that around 10 percent of people infected with MPX are hospitalised to manage pain symptoms. Read more. An official with Africa’s CDC has divulged that MPX vaccines are yet to be supplied to the continent. The agency is working with regional governments to manage concurrent outbreaks of Lassa fever, measles, cholera and monkeypox. In Australia, on July 28 the Chief Medical Officer declared monkeypox to be a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance. Limited stocks of a second MPX vaccine ‘have been secured by the Commonwealth and some States and Territories’. More from the WHO on global trends and a series of infographics on managing monkeypox infections at home. Read more
Advice for travellers
Closely related to the smallpox virus, monkeypox has its origins in Central and Western Africa. Rodents are the suspected reservoir, with monkeys and humans as secondary or ‘spill-over’ hosts. People travelling in endemic countries can be infected by eating undercooked ‘bushmeat’ or handling infected animals, making infection a low risk in those regions. More recently, monkeypox has spread person-to-person around the globe, primarily through large respiratory droplets, but also via direct contact with skin lesions or body fluids (i.e. close or intimate contact) and indirect contact by way of contaminated bedding, clothes etc. Read more from the WHO on the current outbreaks of monkeypox.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.