Clinical Manifestation and current epidemiology of Monkeypox
Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM. Posted on August 8th, 2022
According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), as of July 31st, 83 cases of monkeypox had been reported in 8 countries belonging to the South-East Asian & Western Pacific region, as divided by the World Health Organization (WHO). There has not been any case reported in Vietnam, but 18 cases have been reported in 3 countries participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic bloc: Singapore (15 cases), Thailand (2 cases), Philippines (1 case). A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine had reported the clinical manifestation commonly observed in monkeypox infections.
From April to June of 2022, 528 cases of monkeypox were reported from 16 countries from 4 WHO regions. Most of the patients (98%) were men who had sexual intercourse with men and are got infected via sexual transmission (95%). Mucosal lesions present in 41% of the cases, and skin lesions present in 95% of the cases - mostly in the anogenital area (73%), in either the trunk, legs, or arms (55%), and less commonly on the face (25%) and palms/soles (10%). The morphology of these lesions resembles those of syphilis and other sexual transmitted infection; thus, physicians should be cognizant of this similarity during the process of differential diagnosis.
Other common clinical manifestations include fever (62%), lethargy (41%), myalgia (31%), and headache (27%). Most of the cases were mild and needed little intervention, but 13% of the infected person had to be admitted to the hospital to manage severe anorectal pain and soft-tissue superinfection. Serious complications are rare: 2 individuals were diagnosed with myocarditis, and 2 with acute kidney injury. Only 5% of the cases were prescribed cidofovir or tecovirimat; however, the effectiveness of these treatments is not known.
Due to the close proximity and economic ties between Vietnam and countries that had recently reported cases, healthcare professionals should be aware of the clinical manifestations associated with Monkeypox.
From April to June of 2022, 528 cases of monkeypox were reported from 16 countries from 4 WHO regions. Most of the patients (98%) were men who had sexual intercourse with men and are got infected via sexual transmission (95%). Mucosal lesions present in 41% of the cases, and skin lesions present in 95% of the cases - mostly in the anogenital area (73%), in either the trunk, legs, or arms (55%), and less commonly on the face (25%) and palms/soles (10%). The morphology of these lesions resembles those of syphilis and other sexual transmitted infection; thus, physicians should be cognizant of this similarity during the process of differential diagnosis.
Other common clinical manifestations include fever (62%), lethargy (41%), myalgia (31%), and headache (27%). Most of the cases were mild and needed little intervention, but 13% of the infected person had to be admitted to the hospital to manage severe anorectal pain and soft-tissue superinfection. Serious complications are rare: 2 individuals were diagnosed with myocarditis, and 2 with acute kidney injury. Only 5% of the cases were prescribed cidofovir or tecovirimat; however, the effectiveness of these treatments is not known.
Due to the close proximity and economic ties between Vietnam and countries that had recently reported cases, healthcare professionals should be aware of the clinical manifestations associated with Monkeypox.