2022.05.24 猴痘在哪里传播最快？

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Where is monkeypox spreading fastest?
Argentina, Austria and Denmark are the latest countries to confirm cases
May 24th 2022


Since britain reported a case of monkeypox on May 7th, more than 100 infections have been found across the world. The disease, which is usually confined to Africa, is present in at least 14 countries in Europe and five elsewhere (not including Africa). The symptoms of infection are similar to those of smallpox: fever, exhaustion and pustules that spread across the face and body. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the disease rarely kills healthy adults when treated early, but can be dangerous for children, pregnant women and immunocompromised people. In recent times it has been fatal in 3-6% of cases—a rate heightened by the poor health care in many African countries. A strain prevalent in Congo is much more likely to kill those infected than the west-African variant now spreading outside the continent. There is no recorded case of anyone outside of Africa having died of monkeypox.


Previous European outbreaks have been limited to recent travellers from Africa, or their close contacts. The first case found in Britain this month involved a person who had recently travelled from Nigeria. But since then the disease has spread more widely: Britain has diagnosed 57 people. Spain has reported 40 infections; Portugal 23. Some cases in America and Australia have been traced to travel in Europe or North America. Argentina, Austria and Denmark confirmed infections on May 23rd.

Monkeypox is most frequently transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, bodily fluids or contaminated material, such as clothes and bedding. Many of the recent infections in Europe have been linked to big events, including a gay-pride parade in Spain and a fetish festival in Belgium. Hans Kluge from the WHO has warned that “transmission could accelerate” during the summer months, fuelled by festivals and parties. He recommends thorough hand-washing and protective equipment for health workers. Infected people and their contacts have been advised to isolate for 21 days and health authorities are using contact-tracing to minimise the spread.

But the virus is not as rapidly transmissible as SARS-CoV-2. It does not mutate as quickly as influenza or coronaviruses, which means it is less likely suddenly to become more dangerous. And Western countries know how to deal with it. The last big outbreak outside Africa was in 2003, when monkeypox-carrying prairie dogs caused more than 70 cases in America. It was quickly contained. Vaccination can help people to recover even after they have been infected, and smallpox jabs (of which many countries have large stocks) are estimated to be 85% effective against monkeypox. Some countries are already “ring” vaccinating the personal contacts of those infected. Although, as in the early stages of the covid pandemic, cases will probably continue to rise, monkeypox is highly unlikely to lead to lockdowns. ■



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猴痘在哪里传播最快？
阿根廷、奥地利和丹麦是最新确认病例的国家
2022年5月24日


自从英国在5月7日报告了一例猴痘以来，全世界已经发现了100多个感染病例。这种疾病通常局限于非洲，但在欧洲至少有14个国家和其他地方（不包括非洲）有5个国家出现。感染的症状与天花相似：发烧、疲惫和遍布面部和身体的脓疱。世界卫生组织（WHO）说，这种疾病在早期治疗时很少会杀死健康的成年人，但对儿童、孕妇和免疫力低下的人来说可能是危险的。近来，在3-6%的病例中，这种疾病是致命的--许多非洲国家糟糕的卫生保健使这一比例升高。在刚果流行的菌株比现在在非洲大陆以外传播的西非变种更有可能杀死受感染者。目前还没有非洲以外的人死于猴痘的案例记录。


以前在欧洲的爆发仅限于最近来自非洲的旅行者，或他们的亲密接触者。本月在英国发现的第一个病例涉及一个最近从尼日利亚旅行的人。但是从那时起，这种疾病已经传播得更加广泛。英国已经诊断出57人。西班牙报告了40例感染病例；葡萄牙报告了23例。美国和澳大利亚的一些病例已被追踪到在欧洲或北美的旅行。阿根廷、奥地利和丹麦在5月23日确认了感染情况。

猴痘最常通过皮肤接触、体液或被污染的材料（如衣服和被褥）传播。欧洲最近的许多感染都与大型活动有关，包括西班牙的同性恋大游行和比利时的恋物节。世卫组织的Hans Kluge警告说，在夏季，在节日和聚会的推动下，"传播可能会加速"。他建议彻底洗手，并为卫生工作者提供保护设备。已建议受感染的人和他们的联系人隔离21天，卫生当局正在使用接触追踪来尽量减少传播。

但是该病毒不像SARS-CoV-2那样迅速传播。它不像流感或冠状病毒那样迅速变异，这意味着它不太可能突然变得更加危险。而且西方国家知道如何处理它。非洲以外的上一次大规模爆发是在2003年，当时携带猴痘的草原犬在美国造成了70多起病例。它很快得到了控制。疫苗接种可以帮助人们在被感染后康复，而天花疫苗（许多国家都有大量库存）估计对猴痘有85%的效果。一些国家已经在为受感染者的个人接触者进行 "环形 "接种。尽管在牛痘大流行的早期阶段，病例可能会继续增加，但猴痘极不可能导致封锁的发生。■