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European disease management agencies are urging countries to prepare contact tracing, vaccines, treatments and diagnoses as a way to combat the increasing number of monkeypox cases.
According to the UK Health and Safety Agency on Monday, an additional 36 cases were confirmed in the UK, bringing the total number of monkeypox infections to 56. Since May 15, 67 cases have been confirmed in the EU in nine countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Although the numbers remain relatively small, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) recommended on Monday that countries focus on rapid identification, management, contact tracing and reporting of new monkeypox cases.
In a statement, the ECDC updated countries’ contact tracing mechanisms and diagnostic capabilities for orthopox virus (including monkeypox) to obtain smallpox vaccines, antivirals, and personal protective equipment for medical professionals. He said the possibility needs to be considered.
The virus that causes a rash, fever, and malaise usually disappears after about 3 weeks, but can have serious consequences for certain groups of people, including infants, pregnant women, and people with weak immunity. ..
Stella Kiriyakides of the European Health and Food Safety Commission said she was “concerned” about the increasing number of monkeypox cases in the EU and globally, “now spreading to a wider population. It’s unlikely, but the situation is evolving. “
European infectious disease tycoons, on the other hand, are working together to ensure that the region is as prepared as possible in the case of rapidly increasing cases. The European Commission is in talks with EU countries, along with the Health Emergency Response and Preparation Authority (HERA), the ECDC, and the European Medicines Agency, to enable countries to respond effectively to any outbreak. And the EU Health and Safety Commission will discuss monkeypox at a meeting on Tuesday.
Vaccine story
Among the important concerns are vaccines and treatments.
As part of HERA’s mission, the EU’s latest authorities are “waiting to work on procurement” for medical measures, DG SANTE spokesman Stefan De Keersmaecker said in an email statement.
This includes addressing challenges related to the availability and distribution of antivirals and vaccines, and increasing stockpiling capacity to avoid shortages and bottlenecks in deployment, he said.
Bayern Nordic, the only manufacturer of monkeypox vaccines available in the EU, told Politico that it had received calls from “many countries” wishing to purchase Imvanex shots. This shot has been approved in the United States and Canada to protect against monkeypox and smallpox, but so far it has only been approved in the EU for smallpox.
“The problem is spreading and expanding day by day, so we’re talking to many countries that are requesting procurement,” Rolf Sass Sørensen of the company told POLITICO.
He said the company is in talks with HERA, the World Health Organization, and “all other regulatory agencies on the planet.”
“There is data” on “preventing monkeypox in animals,” a European Medicines Agency spokesman said in an email, adding that “smallpox vaccines can also prevent monkeypox in humans.” ..
In the UK, 1,000 doses of Imvanex have already been administered. Public health officials have immunized high-risk contacts of infected people, with 3,500 doses remaining in the country.
According to the EMA, only one drug is approved in the EU to treat monkeypox. The drug, SIGA tecovirimat, can treat smallpox, monkeypox, and cowpox — three infectious diseases caused by viruses belonging to the orthopoxvirus family. It can also treat complications after vaccination against smallpox.
The majority of cases in the EU and UK have so far been confirmed among men who have sex with men.
Susan Hopkins, UKHSA’s Chief Medical Advisor, said:
Keep away from pets
The ECDC recommends that close contact with monkeypox cases self-monitor the onset of symptoms for 21 days after the last exposure. The UK has taken a stricter approach and advised people to quarantine for three weeks.
ECDC, on the other hand, has a warning about pets.
“When a human-to-animal transmission occurs and the virus spreads to animal populations, there is a risk of the disease spreading in Europe,” the ECDC said in a statement.
Infectious disease authorities have urged both veterinarians and public health authorities to work together to carefully manage pets exposed to the virus to prevent transmission to wildlife.
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