Additional Cases of Monkeypox at a Second Site in North Equateur

[Reasonable Rascal]

Date: Thu 14 Mar 2002
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>


Additional Cases of Monkeypox at a Second Site in North Equateur
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ProMED-mail has heard from a usually reliable source that in North Equateur as of Fri 8 Mar 2002 local health authorities and a non-governmental organization reported 23 new cases including one death in Businga, for a total of 118 cases including 8 deaths. They also reported 12 suspected cases, including one death in another locality 40 km from Businga. These cases seem to be epidemiologically linked to the Businga focus. The total number of cases at the 2 sites is 130 including 9 deaths (CFR 7 percent) and 2 laboratory-confirmed cases.

--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[More information on the epidemiology of these outbreaks would be very much
appreciated. Age distribution of cases and information on prior history of smallpox vaccination is especially of interest, as there are suggestions that a recrudescence of monkeypox outbreaks has been associated with the cessation of smallpox vaccination. - Mod.MPP]
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Reproduced under fair use for education doctrine

[Reasonable Rascal]

Date: Thu 14 Mar 2002
From: DA Henderson, MD, MPH <Dahzero@aol.com>

Cautionary comment
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A further comment on the monkeypox "outbreak". We have before experienced
epidemics of "monkeypox" which, with further investigation, turned out to be outbreaks with substantial numbers of varicella [chickenpox] cases.

From the very detailed and careful studies of Jezek and his collaborators, it was clear from their studies that monkeypox is associated with case fatality rates of about 10 per cent. Have we a new and milder strain of monkeypox?

Stay tuned, but let us not jump to conclusions, as was regrettably done earlier.

--
DA Henderson, MD, MPH
Founding Director, Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies
Candler Building, Suite 830
111 Market Place
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
<dahzero@aol.com>
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Reproduced under fair use for education doctrine