Monkeypox infection may lead to adverse outcomes for foetus, newborns & mother: WHO report
India Today
Monkeypox infection may lead to adverse outcomes for foetus, newborns and mother, as per the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
While infection with monkeypox during pregnancy is not fully understood, limited data suggest that infection may lead to adverse outcomes for the foetus or newborn infant and for the mother, as per the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
As per the global health body, while the current risk for the general public remains low. There is a risk to health workers if they are in contact with a case while not wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent transmission; though not yet reported in this current outbreak, the risk of health care-associated infections has been documented in the past.
“Should monkeypox begin to spread more widely to and within more vulnerable groups, there is the potential for greater health impact as the risk of severe disease and mortality is recognized to be higher in immunocompromised individuals, including persons with poorly controlled HIV infection,” the report added.
However, WHO added that till date, all cases identified in newly affected countries whose samples were confirmed by PCR have been identified as being infected with the West African clade.
It is important to note that there are two known clades of monkeypox virus, one first identified in West Africa (WA) and one in the Congo Basin (CB) region.
The WA clade has in the past been associated with an overall lower case fatality ratio (CFR) of Monkeypox cases have been reported in several parts of the world. To date, all cases identified in newly affected countries have been identified as being infected with the West African clade.
Since January 1 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported to WHO from 42 member states across five WHO regions (Americas, Africa, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Pacific). As of June 15, a total of 2,103 laboratory confirmed cases and one probable case, including one death, have been reported to WHO.
