More than 80 countries that had not previously reported monkeypox (MPX) cases are now part of the extensive outbreak in which cases are nearing 32,000, rising by almost 10 percent in the week to Aug 7. The US total has topped 9,400, while Spain, Germany and the UK round out the top 4. In related news, the B.1 lineage of the MPX virus has been detected most frequently in non-endemic countries, however, as reported in the JH Outbreak Alerts on Aug 3, the A.2 lineage has been sequenced from cases in the three US states, Thailand and India, suggesting ‘there could be an additional cluster of human-to-human transmission that has potentially been unrecognized for years’. 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.