Australians across the country have been warned to be aware of the Monkeypox virus with acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), assuring the community it is being closely monitored.
Acting CMO, Dr Sonya Bennett (pictured) said the National Incident Centre had been activated to support after Victoria and New South Wales confirmed a case each, both in returned travellers, one from the United Kingdom and the other through Europe.
Dr Bennett said both the Victoria and New South Wales Departments of Health were responding to the cases and working to rapidly identify contacts.
“Whilst a number of the recently identified cases have self-reported as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, monkeypox has not been described as a sexually transmitted disease, though it can spread through direct intimate contact during sex,” the Acting CMO said.
“Monkeypox, also known as MPX/MPXV, is a rare viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions,” she said.
“The virus is mostly transmitted to humans via infected animals, such as primates or rodents, however human-to-human transmission does occur.”
She said human-to-human transmission of monkeypox can occur through close contact with lesions on the skin, body fluids including respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials such as bedding.
“Transmission via respiratory droplets usually requires prolonged face-to-face contact. Transmission can occur between sexual partners, through intimate contact during sex, with infectious skin lesions being the likely mode of transmission.”
Dr Bennett said that while there were currently no specific treatments available for monkeypox infection, outbreaks can be controlled.
“As monkeypox is similar to smallpox, smallpox vaccine can also protect people from getting monkeypox. It is also thought that antiviral treatments for smallpox may also be effective for treating monkeypox,” she said.
“The Department is coordinating the necessary approaches for both potential vaccination and treatments for high-risk people in collaboration with states and territories.”
She said States and Territories were alerting clinicians to be on the lookout for potential cases and to report cases so that a public health response can be activated.
More information about Monkeypox can be accessed at this PS News link.
