2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Austria
DiseaseMpox
Virus strainMonkeypox virus (West African clade)
LocationAustria
Index caseVienna, Austria[1]
Arrival dateMay 22, 2022 (1 year, 7 months, 4 weeks and 2 days ago)
DateDecember 2, 2022
Confirmed cases327[2]
Suspected cases‡0
Deaths
0
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in Austria is part of the larger outbreak of human mpox caused by the West African clade of the monkeypox virus. Austria is the fifteenth country outside of Africa to experience an endemic mpox outbreak. The first case was reported in Vienna, Austria, on May 22, 2022.[1] As of December 2nd, Austria has confirmed a total of 327 cases.[2]

Background

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. Picture taken by Dr O.O. Afuye on 15 September 2019.

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

Mpox cases in Austria  ()
     Deaths        Confirmed cases
MayMayJunJunJulJulAugAug
Last 15 daysLast 15 days
Date
Cases (rise)
Deaths (rise)
2022-05-21
1(n.a.)
2022-05-22
1(=)
2022-05-23
1(=)
2022-05-24
1(=)
2022-05-25
1(=)
2022-05-26
1(=)
2022-05-27
1(=)
2022-05-28
1(=)
2022-05-29
1(=)
2022-05-30
1(=)
2022-05-31
1(=)
2022-06-01
1(=)
2022-06-02
1(=)
2022-06-03
1(=)
2022-06-04
1(=)
2022-06-05
1(=)
2022-06-06
1(=)
2022-06-07
1(=)
2022-06-08
1(=)
2022-06-09
1(=)
2022-06-10
1(=)
2022-06-11
1(=)
2022-06-12
1(=)
2022-06-13
4(+3)
2022-06-14
4(=)
2022-06-15
4(=)
2022-06-16
4(=)
2022-06-17
11(+7)
2022-06-18
11(=)
2022-06-19
11(=)
2022-06-20
11(=)
2022-06-21
11(=)
2022-06-22
12(+1)
2022-06-23
12(=)
2022-06-24
20(+8)
2022-06-25
20(=)
2022-06-26
20(=)
2022-06-27
20(=)
2022-06-28
20(=)
2022-06-29
20(=)
2022-06-30
20(=)
2022-07-01
37(+17)
2022-07-02
37(=)
2022-07-03
37(=)
2022-07-04
37(=)
2022-07-05
37(=)
2022-07-06
37(=)
2022-07-07
37(=)
2022-07-08
62(+25)
2022-07-09
62(=)
2022-07-10
62(=)
2022-07-11
62(=)
2022-07-12
62(=)
2022-07-13
62(=)
2022-07-14
62(=)
2022-07-15
83(+21)
2022-07-16
83(=)
2022-07-17
83(=)
2022-07-18
83(=)
2022-07-19
83(=)
2022-07-20
91(+8)
2022-07-21
91(=)
2022-07-22
99(+8)
2022-07-23
99(=)
2022-07-24
99(=)
2022-07-25
99(=)
2022-07-26
111(+12)
2022-07-27
115(+4)
2022-07-28
118(+3)
2022-07-29
124(+6)
2022-07-30
124(=)
2022-07-31
124(=)
2022-08-01
132(+8)
2022-08-02
135(+3)
2022-08-03
145(+10)
2022-08-04
145(=)
2022-08-05
160(+15)
2022-08-06
160(=)
2022-08-07
160(=)
2022-08-08
175(+15)
2022-08-09
175(=)
2022-08-10
175(=)

The first known case was detected in on May 22, 2022, with a 35-year-old man in Vienna, Austria. The person was hospitalized in Vienna.[1] There, he tested positive for mpox, becoming the first case in Austria.

Two weeks after the man tested positive, additional cases were reported in Austria days later and more are being quarantined. As of August 10, there are 175 cases and no suspected cases.[2]

Till 22 August 2022, there have been 217 confirmed cases of mpox in Austria.[13]

Responses and reactions

Hospitals have also begun making their own preparations to help control the current mpox outbreak, including screening patients, increasing decontamination and cleaning procedures,[14] and wearing appropriate safety gear (Personal protective equipment / Medical gown) when interacting with infected patients.

Austria also published a set of guidelines in hopes of containing the disease in the country. A three-week quarantine was set into place for infected patients. Isolation can be performed at home or at hospital, depending on the state of health of the patient, according to the Ministry of Health.[1][15]

See also

    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. 1 2 3 4 "Austria's first suspected monkeypox case reported in Vienna". Reuters. May 22, 2022.
    2. 1 2 3 "2022 Monkeypox Outbreak Global Map". USA CDC. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
    3. 1 2 "WHO recommends new name for monkeypox disease" (Press release). World Health Organization (WHO). November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 "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. 1 2 3 "Mpox (monkeypox)". World Health Organization. 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. ↑ "Affenpocken Schweiz: 416 laborbestätigte Fälle". www.mittellaendische.ch. August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022. In Österreich wurden bislang 217 Fälle von Affenpocken gemeldet (Stand 22.08.2022). [In Austria, 217 cases of monkeypox have been reported to date (as of Aug. 22, 2022).]
    14. ↑ Kurth, Andreas; Achenbach, John; Miller, Liljia; Mackay, Ian M.; Pauli, Georg; Nitsche, Andreas (January 2008). "Orthopoxvirus Detection in Environmental Specimens during Suspected Bioterror Attacks: Inhibitory Influences of Common Household Products". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 74 (1): 32–37. doi:10.1128/AEM.01501-07. PMC 2223225. PMID 17965204.
    15. ↑ "Austria makes quarantine announcement for monkeypox". The Local. May 24, 2022.
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