Infection confirmed in 54 individuals, all of whom identified as men who have sex with men; all presented with skin lesions
TUESDAY, July 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) — In an observational analysis published online July 1 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, community monkeypox virus transmission is described in a group of individuals who identified as men who have sex with men (MSM) and presented with skin lesions.
Nicolò Girometti, M.D., from the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London, and colleagues conducted an observational analysis considering patients with confirmed monkeypox virus infection attending open-access sexual health clinics between May 14 and May 25, 2022.
The researchers note that monkeypox infection was confirmed in 54 individuals, all of whom identified as MSM; 24 percent of the patients were living with HIV. Overall, 67 percent reported fatigue or lethargy, 57 percent reported fever, and 18 percent had no prodromal symptoms. All of the patients presented with skin lesions, 94 percent of which were anogenital; 89 percent had skin lesions affecting more than one anatomical site and 7 percent had oropharyngeal lesions. Fifty-five percent of those with monkeypox had lymphadenopathy. Twenty-five percent of patients had a concurrent sexually transmitted infection. Nine percent of the patients were admitted to the hospital, mainly because of pain or localized bacterial cellulitis that required antibiotic intervention or analgesia. No fatal outcomes were recorded.
“Although all cases reported in this study were in MSM, it is essential to balance targeted health promotion to groups that are disproportionately affected by the current outbreak with the avoidance of intensive media coverage generating stigmatization, and to remain alert to the possibility of spread to other groups,” the authors write.
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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