2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Chile

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Chile is a part of the outbreak of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the monkeypox virus. The outbreak reached Chile on 17 June 2022.[2]

2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Chile
Confirmed and suspected cases by region.
DiseaseMpox
Virus strainMonkeypox virus
(West African clade)
LocationChile
Index caseSantiago de Chile
Arrival dateJune 17, 2022 (2022-06-17)–present (1 year, 4 months and 2 days)
Confirmed cases1,442[1]
Suspected cases‡26[1]
Hospitalized cases400[1]
Recovered1,442[1]
Deaths
3[1]
Government website
Monkeypox Epidemiological Situation Report
(in Spanish)
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

Background
These paragraphs are an excerpt from Mpox and 2022–2023 mpox outbreak.

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox)[3] is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals.[4] Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes.[4] The illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment.[5] The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks.[6] Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems.[7]

The disease is caused by the monkeypox virus,[lower-alpha 1] a zoonotic virus in the genus Orthopoxvirus. The variola virus, the causative agent of the disease smallpox, is also in this genus.[4] Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infected skin or body fluids, including sexual contact.[4] People remain infectious from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and healed.[7] It may spread from infected animals by handling infected meat or via bites or scratches.[7] Diagnosis can be confirmed by PCR testing a lesion for the virus' DNA.[4]

An ongoing outbreak of mpox was confirmed on May 6, 2022, beginning with a British resident who, after travelling to Nigeria (where the disease is endemic), presented symptoms consistent with mpox on April 29, 2022. The resident returned to the United Kingdom on May 4, creating the country's index case of the outbreak.[8] The origin of several of the cases of mpox in the United Kingdom is unknown. Some monitors saw community transmission taking place in the London area as of mid-May,[9] but it has been suggested that cases were already spreading in Europe in the previous months.[10]

Transmission
Stages of lesion development.

A large portion of those infected were believed to have not recently traveled to areas of Africa where mpox is normally found, such as Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as central and western Africa. It is believed to be transmitted by close contact with sick people, with extra caution for those individuals with lesions on their skin or genitals, along with their bedding and clothing. The CDC has also stated that individuals should avoid contact and consumption of dead animals such as rats, squirrels, monkeys and apes along with wild game or lotions derived from animals in Africa.[11]

In addition to more common symptoms, such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and rashes or lesions, some patients have also experienced proctitis, an inflammation of the rectum lining. CDC has also warned clinicians to not rule out mpox in patients with sexually transmitted infections since there have been reports of co-infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and herpes.[12]

History

The first case of infection was recorded on June 17 in Santiago de Chile after an adult with a history of travel to Europe presented symptoms

Mpox cases in Chile  ()
     Deaths        Recoveries        Confirmed cases
JunJunJulJulAugAugSepSep
Last 15 daysLast 15 days
Date
Cases (rise)
Deaths (rise)
2022-06-17
1(n.a.)
⋮
2022-07-15
16(n.a.)
⋮
2022-07-19
20(+4)
⋮
2022-07-22
26(+6)
⋮
2022-07-26
45(+19)
⋮
2022-07-29
55(+10)
⋮
2022-08-02
68(+12)
⋮
2022-08-05
91(+23)
⋮
2022-08-09
126(+35)
⋮
2022-08-12
141(+15)
⋮
2022-08-15
189(+48)
⋮
2022-08-19
207(+18)
⋮
2022-08-23
270(+63)
⋮
2022-08-26
344(+74)
⋮
2022-08-30
381(+37)
⋮
2022-09-02
450(+69)
⋮
2022-09-06
484(+34)
⋮
2022-09-23
842(+358)
Cases are updated every Tuesday and Friday

Statistics
Cases in Metropolitan Region
Cases of mpox 23-09-22
Region Cases
 Santiago Metropolitan Region 732
 Araucanía 10
 Antofagasta 14
 Valparaíso Region 25
 O'Higgins 6 [13]
 Coquimbo 21 [14]
 Los Lagos Region 3 [15]
 Maule Region 6 (+2)
 Biobío Region 14
 Los Ríos Region 2 (+1)
 Ñuble Region 2 (+1)
Every 4 days (Tuesday and friday)
Date Total Cases Cases in RM Cases outside of RM New / daily avg
02-08-22 68 62 6 —
05-08-22 91 83 9 (+3) 5
09-08-22 126 116 10 (+1) 8
12-08-22 141 130 11 (+1) 3
15-08-22 189 176 13 (+2) 12
19-08-22 207 194 13 4
23-08-22 270 194 13 15
26-08-22 344 317 27 (+14) 18
30-08-22 381 354 27 9
02-09-22 450 404 46 (+19) 17
06-09-22 484 — 46 8
23-09-22 842 732 110 —

Notes
  1. The World Health Organization (the authority on disease names) announced the new name "mpox" in November 2022. But virus naming is the responsibility of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), which is currently reviewing all orthopoxvirus species. As of March 2023, the official name of the virus remains "monkeypox virus".[3]

References
  1. "Informe ejecutivo | Viruela del mono | Chile, 30 de junio de 2023" [Executive report | Mpox | Chile, June 30, 2023] (PDF). Department of Epidemiology (in Spanish). July 11, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  2. "Primer caso de viruela del mono" (in Spanish).
  3. "WHO recommends new name for monkeypox disease" (Press release). World Health Organization (WHO). November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  4. "WHO Factsheet – Mpox (Monkeypox)". World Health Organization (WHO). April 18, 2023. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  5. "Monkeypox". GOV.UK. May 24, 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  6. "Mpox Symptoms". U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). February 2, 2023. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  7. "Mpox (monkeypox)". World Health Organisation. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  8. "Monkeypox – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". World Health Organization. May 16, 2022. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  9. Pinkstone, Joe (May 17, 2022). "Monkeypox 'spreading in sexual networks'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  10. Nsofor, Ifeanyi (June 2, 2022). "OPINION: Media coverage of monkeypox paints it as an African virus. That makes me mad". NPR. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  11. Vargas, Ramon Antonio (June 7, 2022). "US raises monkeypox alert level but says risk to public remains low". the Guardian. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  12. "Monkeypox update: Where the outbreak stands now".
  13. "Minsal reporta 68 casos de viruela del mono y se registra el primero en la región de O'Higgins". Radio Bio Bio (in Spanish).
  14. "La viruela del mono llegó a la Región de Coquimbo". Cooperativa (in Spanish).
  15. "Confirman primer caso de viruela del mono en Chiloé". Cooperativa (in Spanish).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.