Mary Wilson
Well-known member
Published July 17, 2024
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00288-2
Allan Komakech[SUP]a,b[/SUP] ∙ Brian Ngongheh Ajong[SUP]c[/SUP] ∙ Danny Kalala[SUP]d[/SUP] ∙ Nora Efire[SUP]a[/SUP] ∙ Cris Kacita[SUP]e[/SUP] ∙ Emmanuel Hasivirwe Vakaniaki[SUP]f[/SUP] ∙ Jonathan Izudi[SUP]h[/SUP] ∙ Laurens Liesenborghs[SUP]g[/SUP] ∙ Nicaise Ndembi[SUP]i[/SUP]
In July, 2022, WHO declared mpox—a viral zoonotic illness—a public health emergency of international concern, due to the rising number of cases and its spread to many countries outside Africa.[SUP]1[/SUP] By May, 2023, reported cases of mpox had reduced in regions outside Africa, leading to the lifting of the emergency declaration. In August, 2023, the WHO Director-called upon state parties to develop national mpox plans that incorporated lessons learned, to strengthen laboratory-based surveillance, to enhance community protection through risk communication, and to comprehensively support research for prevention and control.[SUP]2[/SUP] However, mpox remains a critical public health problem in Africa, where it was first identified among humans in 1970, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).[SUP]3[/SUP]
Responses by stakeholders, both local and international, to increases in mpox cases have primarily focused on immediate containment and treatment strategies. However, it is equally important to understand the long-term sequelae of mpox, particularly in Africa, which has the largest burden of the disease. Although the literature is scarce, our field experience and a few reports indicate that the long-term sequelae of mpox range from cutaneous to systemic complications.[SUP]4–8[/SUP] The complications include atrophic scars, patchy alopecia, facial muscle contractures, proctitis, fatigue, blindness, deformed eyelids, keratitis, and sexual impairment.[SUP]4–8[/SUP] Most studies have described sequelae following infection with the clade II variant of monkeypox virus. Since outbreaks in central Africa are caused by the more virulent clade I monkeypox virus, the sequelae might be even more severe here. A 1987 study conducted in DR Congo identified blindness and impaired vision as sequelae in ten (3·5%) of 282 individuals infected with clade I monkeypox virus.[SUP]8[/SUP] ...
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https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00288-2/fulltext
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00288-2
Allan Komakech[SUP]a,b[/SUP] ∙ Brian Ngongheh Ajong[SUP]c[/SUP] ∙ Danny Kalala[SUP]d[/SUP] ∙ Nora Efire[SUP]a[/SUP] ∙ Cris Kacita[SUP]e[/SUP] ∙ Emmanuel Hasivirwe Vakaniaki[SUP]f[/SUP] ∙ Jonathan Izudi[SUP]h[/SUP] ∙ Laurens Liesenborghs[SUP]g[/SUP] ∙ Nicaise Ndembi[SUP]i[/SUP]
In July, 2022, WHO declared mpox—a viral zoonotic illness—a public health emergency of international concern, due to the rising number of cases and its spread to many countries outside Africa.[SUP]1[/SUP] By May, 2023, reported cases of mpox had reduced in regions outside Africa, leading to the lifting of the emergency declaration. In August, 2023, the WHO Director-called upon state parties to develop national mpox plans that incorporated lessons learned, to strengthen laboratory-based surveillance, to enhance community protection through risk communication, and to comprehensively support research for prevention and control.[SUP]2[/SUP] However, mpox remains a critical public health problem in Africa, where it was first identified among humans in 1970, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).[SUP]3[/SUP]
Responses by stakeholders, both local and international, to increases in mpox cases have primarily focused on immediate containment and treatment strategies. However, it is equally important to understand the long-term sequelae of mpox, particularly in Africa, which has the largest burden of the disease. Although the literature is scarce, our field experience and a few reports indicate that the long-term sequelae of mpox range from cutaneous to systemic complications.[SUP]4–8[/SUP] The complications include atrophic scars, patchy alopecia, facial muscle contractures, proctitis, fatigue, blindness, deformed eyelids, keratitis, and sexual impairment.[SUP]4–8[/SUP] Most studies have described sequelae following infection with the clade II variant of monkeypox virus. Since outbreaks in central Africa are caused by the more virulent clade I monkeypox virus, the sequelae might be even more severe here. A 1987 study conducted in DR Congo identified blindness and impaired vision as sequelae in ten (3·5%) of 282 individuals infected with clade I monkeypox virus.[SUP]8[/SUP] ...
Download Full Issue
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00288-2/fulltext