Using COVID-19 as a Model for Monkeypox
Adham El Sherbini, Investigative Journalist
September 20, 2022
While Coronavirus-related concern fades around the world, agitation is rising about similar consequences recurring through other viruses. Quietly creeping towards centre stage, is Monkeypox (MPX).
Unlike the COVID-19 outbreak, MPX is not a new disease. The zoonotic disease — transmitted between species, from animals to humans — has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other West and Central African countries since 1970.
Jump half a century and one pandemic later to August 15, 2022, there are 529 confirmed cases of the disease. To differentiate it from smallpox, MPX is associated with lymph node enlargement following the onset of fever. MPX can also cause secondary complications, including sepsis, dehydration, and respiratory distress.
It is yet to be determined to what degree we should be concerned with MPX. With COVID-19 in the rear-view mirror, the prospect of another pandemic is at the forefront of many minds.
Notable differences between MPX and COVID-19 — including its lower transmissibility — point to the conclusion that most communities should not be as concerned with MPX.
“There is an aspect of [airborne transmissibility] with MPX, but the bigger concern is close contact, prolonged contact, and particularly skin contact," said Jenny Hutchinson, a nurse of clinical diseases at KFL&A Public Health. As a result, restrictions are likely not going to be as strict, she continued.
The high transmission rate of COVID-19 has resulted in over 600 million cases, costing roughly $24 trillion dollars. With Monkeypox, lower transmissibility makes the disease harder to contract. Therefore, a recurrence of the social and economic ramifications seen over the last two years is less likely.
Lessons, challenges, and drawbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic should be acknowledged to prevent the transmission of MPX. The long-lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have made for global guidelines, such as preventative measures, policy changes, and economic decisions — that have taken months to develop.
“Once we have a lab-confirmed case, the health unit will [take] the same approach as they do [with] COVID-19 and work with the individual to determine who might be at risk from their exposure," Hutchinson said.
Integrating evidence-led isolation and treatment protocols for COVID-19, prevented spread of the disease and saved healthcare systems a lot of time. The COVID-19 framework has taken months to perfect, and using a similar approach for MPX as would contain the disease faster — ultimately minimizing transmission.
The government’s approach to MPX is not identical to that of COVID-19. In Ontario, contacts of those infected with MPX are not required to isolate but only monitor for symptoms. Differences in requirements also include a lack of mandatory masking, lockdowns, or indoor space restrictions for MPX, though said requirements are recommended for those in contact with infected individuals.
Many Canadians, frustrated with multiple lockdowns and mandates resulting from COVID-19, may resist further restrictions. However, due to the lower transmissibility of MPX, it is less likely these measures will be required.
As a result, numerous communities will likely not partake in taking preventive measures required by public health institutions. If preventative measures are set forth by the government, policy-makers must emphasize the significance of the virus.
Although it is likely MPX will not have similar consequences to COVID-19, some evidence suggests it is a larger concern than we anticipate. The historical fatality rate of MPX has been reported to be as high as 11% by the World Health Organization, but closer to 3 to 6% in recent years.
French scientists Sophie Seang and colleagues reported the first dog to contract MPX—a healthy Italian greyhound. In a recent paper published in The Lancet, they claimed if animals continue to contract the disease, it could make transmission difficult to handle.
Discerning whether MPX is of less concern than COVID-19 cannot be boiled down to a simple answer. Although the two diseases necessitate similar precautionary measures, they are exceptionally different.
From the transmission, symptoms, existing literature of the two diseases, to the difference in the community perspective, it is difficult to compare either one or draw set conclusions.
“If you have any risk factors, certainly getting vaccinated is the most important way to protect yourself and those around you,” Hutchinson concluded.
The Student Wellness Center at Queen’s is offering the vaccine to eligible students from 9:30am to 3:15pm on September 20th.