Monkeypox origins and detailed history
Monkeypox virus has two types: Clade I and Clade II.Clad I has 10 percent fatality rate but the current outbreak is due to Clade II (Clade IIb). Clade IIb infections are rarely fatal and 99 percent infected people recover from the infection. However, people with weak immunity, pregnant women and children are more at risk of developing severe complications.
Monkeypox origins and detailed history is very important to understand the capability of monkeypox virus transmission model and it is also important to avoid travel in endemic areas and follow preventive measures in case of outbreak.
When monkeypox virus isolated first time?
In year 1958, virus was isolated first time when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research in Copenhagen, Denmark.
When first human case of monkey reported reported?
Monkeypox origins and history drawn global attention due to current global outbreak. Dr. Dimie Ogoina, physician in Nigeria, at Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital reported first case during 2017 outbreak in Nigeria in a four year girl living in Ihie-Imuduru village in Abia State, South-East Nigeria on 4 April, and 1971.The girl had fever and skil lesions.After 9 days 24 year old mother of girl also reported same condition.
This case was considered as the first human to human transmission of monkeypox after laboratory confirmation. Third case diagnosed in Omifounfoun village in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria in an unvaccinated 35-year-old man. And then no cases were reported for next 38 years( 1979-2016) in Nigeria. Hence, monkey pox origins and histroy tracebacks to Aftica.
Where were monkeypox origins?
After the eradication of smallpox in 1980 by global mass vaccination, monkeypox emerged in central, east and West Africa. Since 2005, thousands of moneybox cases reported in Democratic Republic of Congo every year. Monkeypox origins trace to African countries because it was endemic in almost 10 African countries while it was rarely found in Europe and the Americas.
How monkeypox outbreak spread globally from monkeypox origins?
In 2017, monkeypox re-emerged in Nigeria and rapidly spread among travelers to other destinations across the globe. There was a case of an 11-year-old boy was referred to Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria confirmed monkeypox. in 2017. Studies on case histories of almost all monkeypox or mpox cases which were reported in multiple continents outside Africa were linked to international travel or imported animals from regions where monkeypox was endemic areas of Monkeypox origins.
History of current global monkeypox outbreak?
There was an outbreak in 2023 in United States of America which was linked to imported wild animals (Clad II) from African monkeypox origins areas.In 2022-2023 global outbreaks emerged resulting in public health emergency. In May 2022, monkey pox cases appeared in Europe and Americas where it was uncommon through sexual contact and spread rapidly in all six WHO regions with 110 countries countries reporting 87000 cases and 112 deaths making it a real concern for global health system.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a United States national public health agency, there were 64,916 cases until 22nd September 2022 globally at 64,336 locations reporting monkey pox without any historic background of disease traceabilty from areas of monkeypox origins. It primarily affected gays (men who have sex with men), bisexual. In 2022, outbreak of monkeypox Clade I reported in refugee camps of Sudan.
When did WHO declared monkeypox as public health emergency?
Finally, world health organization WHO (https://www.who.int/news/item/23-07-2022-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-(ihr)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-multi-country-outbreak-of-monkeypox) declared multi-country monkeypox global outbreak as public health emergency on 23 July, 2022 and published public health alert along with preparedness and response plan for surveillance, diagnostic and prevention of human to human spread.
Monkeypox and LGBTQ community
Monkeypox outbreak has trend to spread primarily among men who have sex with other men (MSM) which makes it similar with HIV/AIDS epidemic trend which specifically affected LGBTQ community in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Scientist are not sure why this disease is spreading in this particular community with highly interconnected sexual networks but it does not spread in general population same way.
