A study of several patients diagnosed with smallpox of the monkey in the UK suggests that some antiviral drugs might reduce the duration of symptoms and the length of time a patient is contagious, The Lancet Infectious Diseases reports Tuesday.
Specifically, the analysis was carried out before the current outbreak in Europe and the United States, between 2018 and 2021, in seven patients with the disease, who managed to recover after being isolated in British hospitals, but experts have highlighted the challenges in understanding this disease.
Researchers looked at patient responses to two different antivirals — brincidofovir and tecovirimat — and found that tecovirimat could shorten the duration of symptoms and reduce the time a patient is contagious, though experts caution that more research is needed. .
The cases analyzed represent the first cases of hospital transmission and household transmission outside of Africa.
The study found little evidence that brincidofovir clinical benefit, but concluded that further investigation of tecovirimat’s potential would be warranted.
Since optimal infection control and treatment strategies for this disease have not yet been established, the study data could help better understand the clinical characteristics of the disease, as well as the dynamics of transmission.
“As public health officials try to understand what is causing the monkeypox outbreaks in May 2022 in Europe and North America, involving several patients who did not report travel or a link to a previously known case, our study provides some of the first insights into the use of antivirals for treatment of monkeypox in humans,” said Hugh Adler of Liverpool University Hospitals, lead author of the paper.
“Historically, monkeypox has not been transmitted very efficiently between people and, in general, the risk to public health is low,” he added.
“With international travel returning to pre-pandemic levels, public health officials and healthcare workers around the world must remain attentive to the possibility of new cases of monkeypox“said Nick Price of Guy’s & St Thomas Hospital in London.
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Monkeypox, a close relative of the smallpox virus, is a rare disease classified as an infectious disease by the UK Health Security Agency.
Monkeypox is spread through animal-to-human transmission, usually from an animal bite or from eating improperly cooked meat.
Between humans, the main route of transmission, which is usually rare, is close contact.
Symptoms of the disease may include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle fatigue, and rashes on the face, hands, feet, eyes, or genitals.
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