2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Brazil
Confirmed cases by state.
DiseaseMpox
Virus strainMonkeypox virus (West African clade)
LocationBrazil
Index caseSão Paulo, Brazil
Date20 May 2022 – ongoing (1 year, 7 months, and 21 days)
Confirmed cases5,525 (as of 10 September 2022)
Suspected cases‡6
Deaths
2
Government website
(Brazil)
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Brazil is a part of the ongoing outbreak of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the monkeypox virus. The outbreak was first reported in Brazil on 9 June 2022 when a man in São Paulo was registered as the country's index case.[1]

Background

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox)[2] is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals.[3] Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.[3] The illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment.[4] The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks.[5] Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems.[6]

The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus,[lower-alpha 1] a zoonotic virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus. The variola virus, the causative agent of the disease smallpox, is also in this genus.[3] Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infected skin or body fluids, including sexual contact.[3] People remain infectious from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and healed.[6] It may spread from infected animals by handling infected meat or via bites or scratches.[6] Diagnosis can be confirmed by PCR testing a lesion for the virus' DNA.[3]

An outbreak of mpox, a viral disease then commonly known as "monkeypox", was confirmed in May 2022.[7] The initial cluster of cases was found in the United Kingdom,[8] where the first case was detected in London on 6 May 2022[9] in a patient with a recent travel history from Nigeria (where the disease is endemic).[10] On 16 May, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed four new cases with no link to travel to a country where mpox is endemic.[9] Subsequently, cases have been reported from many countries and regions.[11] The outbreak marked the first time mpox had spread widely outside Central and West Africa. There is evidence that the disease had been circulating and evolving in human hosts over a number of years prior to the outbreak.[12]

On 23 July 2022, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), stating that "we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little".[13] A global response to the outbreak included public awareness campaigns in order to reduce spread of the disease, and repurposing of smallpox vaccines.[14][15] In May 2023, the World Health Organization declared an end to the PHEIC, citing steady progress in controlling the spread of the disease.[16]

Transmission

Stages of lesion development.

A large portion of those infected were believed to have not recently traveled to areas of Africa where mpox is normally found, such as Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as central and western Africa. It is believed to be transmitted by close contact with sick people, with extra caution for those individuals with lesions on their skin or genitals, along with their bedding and clothing. The CDC has also stated that individuals should avoid contact and consumption of dead animals such as rats, squirrels, monkeys and apes along with wild game or lotions derived from animals in Africa.[17]

In addition to more common symptoms, such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and rashes or lesions, some patients have also experienced proctitis, an inflammation of the rectum lining. CDC has also warned clinicians to not rule out mpox in patients with sexually transmitted infections since there have been reports of co-infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes.[18]

Timeline

Three suspected mpox cases were reported in Brazil on 30 May 2022.[19] On 9 June, a 41-year-old man, who had recently travelled to Spain and Portugal and had been admitted to a São Paulo hospital, tested positive for the virus.[1]

On 29 July, the first death was reported outside of Endemic african countries[20] and the country's first mpox cases in children were confirmed in three kids from São Paulo city.[21]

Statistics

Cumulative cases

Total confirmed cases

Total confirmed Deaths

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The World Health Organization (the authority on disease names) announced the new name "mpox" in November 2022. But virus naming is the responsibility of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), which is currently reviewing all orthopoxvirus species. As of March 2023, the official name of the virus remains "monkeypox virus".[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Man in Sao Paulo hospital with Brazil's first monkeypox case -officials". Reuters. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 "WHO recommends new name for monkeypox disease" (Press release). World Health Organization (WHO). 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "WHO Factsheet – Mpox (Monkeypox)". World Health Organization (WHO). 18 April 2023. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Monkeypox". GOV.UK. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Mpox Symptoms". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Mpox (monkeypox)". World Health Organization. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries". World Health Organization. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "So, Have You Heard About Monkeypox?". The Atlantic. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Monkeypox cases confirmed in England – latest updates". GOV.UK. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "Monkeypox – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". World Health Organization. 16 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "2022 Mpox Outbreak Global Map | Mpox | Poxvirus | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  12. ↑ Sample, Ian (2 November 2023). "Mpox circulated for five years before global explosion in 2022, research finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "WHO Director-General declares the ongoing monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern". World Health Organization (WHO). 23 July 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Monkeypox – Campaign details". Department of Health and Social Care – Campaign Resource Centre. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  15. ↑ "Protecting you from mpox (monkeypox): information on the smallpox vaccination". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  16. ↑ Kimball, Spencer (11 May 2023). "WHO says mpox outbreak, the largest in history, no longer global health emergency". CNBC. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ↑ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (7 June 2022). "US raises monkeypox alert level but says risk to public remains low". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  18. ↑ "Monkeypox update: Where the outbreak stands now".
  19. ↑ "Brazil monitors three suspected cases of monkeypox". Agência Brasil. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Ministerio da saúde confirma 1 morte por variola dos macacos no brasil". G1 (in Portuguese). 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Varíola dos macacos: Brasil registra três primeiros casos em crianças". archive.ph. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
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