US authorities are considering expanding the group of people eligible to be vaccinated against the monkeypox virus to include men with HIV or newly diagnosed sexually transmitted diseases.
The possibility stems from a study published Thursday that indicates a higher-than-expected percentage of monkeypox virus infections have been reported in people who have already had sexually transmitted infections.
Given these data, John Brooks, clinical director of monkeypox response at the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), considered that the study constitutes a “call to action” in the fight against the disease caused by the VMPX virus.
Speaking to the Associated Press, John Brooks said he expected the monkeypox vaccine recommendation to be expanded and that “the White House, along with the CDC, are working on a plan” to define new groups eligible for that vaccine. .
The vast majority of monkeypox cases have been reported in men who have sex with men who have reported close contact with an infected person, but the new CDC report suggests a high incidence of infections in people with HIV ( the human immunodeficiency virus) that causes AIDS) and with sexually transmitted diseases.
The study looked at nearly 2,000 Monkeypox in four US states and found that 38% of people infected with the VMPX virus had been diagnosed with HIV.
In addition, the findings of the CDC investigation, which admits several limitations in that study, indicate that 41% of those infected with Monkeypox had suffered from a sexually transmitted disease in the previous year.
The US leads the number of infections worldwide (more than 20,000 as of Tuesday), of which 98% are registered in men.
The most common symptoms of Monkeypox infection, known as monkey pox, are fever, severe headache, muscle pain, back pain, tiredness, enlarged lymph nodes with the progressive appearance of rashes that affect the skin and mucous membranes. .
A person who is sick ceases to be contagious only after complete healing and scabbing of skin lesions, a period that can eventually exceed four weeks.
The monkeypox virus is transmitted by close physical contact, that is, with injuries or bodily fluids, or by contact with contaminated material, such as sheets, towels, or personal utensils.
Source: TSF
