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Two new cases of monkeypox have spread within New
Zealand’s community, as opposed to previous cases where
people were likely infected overseas.
The two new
cases are isolating in Auckland. There
is currently no confirmed link between the two cases,
and no identified link to a known overseas acquired case, so
health authorities consider “there is the potential for
more cases to emerge.”
The SMC asked experts to
comment on the news.
Professor Michael Baker,
Professor of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington,
comments:
“Confirmed community transmission
of monkeypox within New Zealand is an important milestone in
the development of this outbreak here.
“It is
notable that these cases are not connected to known imported
cases. This observation means that there must be additional
undetected cases in this country. It also means that risk of
infection is no longer confined to those who have recently
been overseas. Consequently, messaging around who is
potentially vulnerable to this infection needs to be
expanded to include people who may have been exposed to
infected people in New Zealand.
“This development is
not cause for major concern. Monkeypox transmission can be
well managed through prompt case diagnosis, isolation, and
contact tracing.
“Looking at the global epidemiology
of this disease, new case numbers appear to have peaked
around 12 August 2022 internationally, and have been
declining steadily since then. That finding is reassuring in
that it confirms that this disease is highly controllable
with basic public health measures.
“The critical
step is that anyone in New Zealand who has features of this
infection, and is in a group at higher risk (notably men who
have sex with men), needs to seek medical attention
immediately so that they can be properly assessed and tested
if necessary.”
No conflict of
interest.
Arindam Basu, Associate
Professor of Epidemiology, School of Health Sciences,
University of Canterbury, comments:
“This
was expected, New Zealand has been lucky with monkeypox so
far. From now on, we need to be on the watch as cases will
likely increase over the next two to three weeks. Once more
details about the cases are released or known, it is
important for people connected to the cases to take care,
and practically everyone needs to be educated on the signs
and symptoms of monkeypox and watch for signs of skin rash
and unexplained ‘flu like’ fever. It is another matter
that being the springtime does not help as other infectious
diseases that affect upper respiratory tracts will continue
to be reported. A high index of suspicion is
needed.”
No conflicts of interest
declared.
© Scoop Media
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