Interim rapid response guidance, 10 June 2022.
It includes considerations for certain populations such as patients with mild disease with considerations for community care, patients with moderate to severe disease, sexually active persons, pregnant or breastfeeding women, children and young persons.... The guidance also addresses considerations for clinical management such as the use of therapeutics, nutritional support, mental health services, and post-infection follow-up.
The document provides guidance for clinicians, health facility managers, health workers and infection prevention and control practitioners including but not limited to those working in primary care clinics, sexual health clinics, emergency departments, infectious diseases clinics, genitourinary clinics, dermatology clinics, maternity services, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and acute care facilities that provide care for patients with suspected or confirmed monkeypox
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19 August 2022. A monkeypox case investigation form (CIF) has been designed as a tool for Member States and researchers to conduct in-depth epidemiological investigation of suspected, probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox. This form allows to collect data prospectively or retrospectively for bot...h cases and their contacts. The full form is meant to serve as a tool for in-country use and the data are not required to be reported to WHO.
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There has been a global outbreak of mpox since 2022; this outbreak has been caused by the strain of mpox virus called Clade 2 and has affected around 116 countries worldwide. The current surge in cases is being driven by the rapid spread of a different strain – Clade 1b – which is predominantly ...affecting countries across the African region, particularly DRC, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda [1]. The guidance in this document applies to both Clades of mpox. WHO publishes a dashboard of updated cases globally here. Different Clades and Sub-Clades of mpox behave slightly differently to each other; WHO is monitoring for any significant differences between the Clades, including transmission routes. This guidance will be updated as more information becomes available on this issue.
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Nach dem derzeitigen Informationsstand sind aktuell humane Infektionen durch das Affenpockenvirus (monkeypox virus, MPX) in einigen Regionen der Welt einschließlich mehreren europäischen Ländern aufgetreten. Die Daten belegen eine Mensch-zu-Mensch-Übertragung unter bestimmten Bedingungen. Die Ü...bertragung von MPX von Mensch zu Mensch erfolgt in der Regel durch engen Haut- bzw. Schleimhautkontakt mit infektiösem Material aus den Hautläsionen einer infizierten Person, sowie – seltener – durch respiratorische Tröpfchen/Sekrete z.B. bei längerem Kontakt von Angesicht zu Angesicht oder durch kontaminierte Gegenstände und Oberflächen. Bei diesem Erreger ist besonders zu beachten, dass Partikel des Affenpockenvirus eingebettet in Sekreten bzw. getrocknet an Hautschuppen bzw. Schorfpartikeln für längere Zeiträume infektiös sein können, was eine sorgfältige und umfassende Reinigung und Desinfektion der Patientenumgebung bzw. der Oberflächen notwendig macht.
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Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonotic disease caused by a double stranded DNA virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family.
On August 13, 2024, the Africa CDC declared the mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS). The following day, the WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). A coordinated, continent-wide response is essential, co-led by the African Union... (AU) through the Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO), in close collaboration with global partners working under a unified plan, budget, and monitoring framework.
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The rapid assessment tool (RAT) is meant to assess health facilities within mpox-affected areas that have at least one inpatient bed. Depending on time and resources available, certain facilities may be prioritized during an mpox outbreak. The RAT evaluates 16 infection prevention and control (IPC) ...and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) criteria identified as the minimum essential elements required for safe patient care and prevention of transmission within the health facility during readiness or response activities for outbreaks of mpox.
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Monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus that causes human monkeypox, a viral disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, including fever and rash. Following the worldwide eradication of smallpox in 1980, monkeypox emerged as the most significant orthopoxvirus infection in humans. Cases are most often rep...orted from rural areas of Central and West African countries, particularly in regions close to tropical rainforest where people may have contact with infected animals. Someone can become infected through direct contact with respiratory droplets of another person who has monkeypox in the home or in a health facility, or with contaminated materials such as bedding. Although these are the main modes of person-to-person transmission, monkeypox outbreaks tend to occur in small clusters of a few cases without leading to widespread community transmission. For this reason, outbreaks can be easily controlled when responded to rapidly. On several occasions, monkeypox has been reported in other regions due to importation by travelers or infected animals. This course provides a general introduction to the disease through a video and accompanying downloadable presentation that can be reviewed at your own pace. It is intended for health personnel responsible for prevention and control of monkeypox, and for the general public.
The content and scope of this course on monkeypox have been tailored for outbreaks in African countries where the disease is endemic. The course material was last updated in 2020 and may not reflect most recent WHO guidance issued for the multi-country outbreak in 2022.
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March 2025. Access to appropriate, quality-assured diagnostics remains a challenge. There is limited information on key characteristics of available test kits, including their performance, reliability, and ability to detect relevant Mpox clades. Additionally, the lack of multiplex diagnostic tools c...apable of distinguishing Mpox from other pathogens with similar clinical presentations further complicates case detection and response efforts.
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Monkeypox: Cumulative confirmed cases, by date of confirmation
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV).1
It causes a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy or feeling sick. In most cases, the symptoms of mpox go away within a few weeks with supportive care.... In some people, the illness can be severe
or lead to complications and even death.
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La viruela del mono es una enfermedad transmisible emergente causada por un virus que se transmite a los seres humanos a partir de animales infectados, generalmente roedores. Puede contagiarse a otras personas, pero la transmisión de persona a persona por sí sola no es capaz de mantener un brote. ...La presentación clínica es similar a la observada en el pasado con la viruela, pero menos grave. La viruela fue erradicada en el mundo en 1980; sin embargo, la viruela del mono sigue produciéndose esporádicamente en partes de África Central y Occidental, cerca de las selvas tropicales. Normalmente, la letalidad en los brotes de viruela del mono ha sido del 1 al 10%, pero con los cuidados adecuados, la mayoría de los pacientes se recupera. Este curso ofrece una introducción general a la viruela del mono y está dirigido al personal sanitario responsable de la prevención y el control de la viruela del mono.
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Fact Sheet about Monkeypox
in English, Arabic, Russian, French, Spanish, Chinese