40% Monkpox patients suffer from painful complications requiring treatment

40% patients with monkey pox suffer complications that require treatment, according to an observational study of the disease in Spain, involving the Val d' Hebron and German Tries Hospitals in Barcelona and a hospital in Madrid on October Requires 2% admission to hospital.

40% Monk pox patients suffer from painful complications requiring treatment

The research, which involved 181 cases, was published in The Lancet journal and looked at the prevalence of various complications that can cause pain, such as inflammation of the rectal mucous (protections) in 25% patients; Tonsillitis in 10%, penile edema in 8%, abscess in 3% and rash in 4%.

 

Furthermore, all participants presented with lesions on the skin, anything area, and mouth and chin.

 

"Skin-to-skin contact" as a "dominant" factor in transmission

 

Another relevant conclusion of the research is that "skin-to-skin contact" during sexual intercourse is the "dominant factor" in monkey pox transmission in these outbreaks, compared to other hypotheses such as airborne or liquid transmission.

 

In that regard, the researchers also noted that viral loads were "surprisingly" high in samples collected from skin lesions compared to relatively low levels in pharyngeal swabs.

 

Therefore, they consider that these data need to be further investigated to determine whether respiratory infection is viable and consequently decisions should be made regarding home respiratory isolation of affected individuals.

 

Finally, given the short incubation period, they concluded that per-exposure vaccination of high-risk groups is more effective than post-exposure vaccination for infection control.

 

The disease mainly affects men who have sex

 

In the analysis, 98% patients were male (175 of 181 cases), of whom 95% (166) identified as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men. The remainder (15) declare themselves to be gay men or women.

 

The average age of those affected was 37 years, and the average duration of the incubation period for the disease was established as 7 days. For them, the skin lesions took an average of 10 days to form a dry crust.

 

Regarding the site of onset, the results show that men who practiced anal-receptive sex presented protections and systemic symptoms more frequently than gay men. They also noted that 95% of the 19 participants with tonsillitis reported engaging in oral-oral sex.

 

The study was supported by the 12th October University Hospital, the German Tries University Hospital-Infection Foundation and the Val Hebron University Hospital with the participation of the London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

Last May, the first autonomous case of monkey pox was identified in Europe, making 27 active cases in 27 countries and more than 11,500 confirmed cases. Spain is the most affected country on the continent, with more than 5,100 cases identified as of early August, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Health.