On 14 August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the monkeypox outbreak constituted a ‘public health emergency of international concern’, marking the second time since July 2022 that WHO has issued the highest level of alert for a monkeypox outbreak.

Currently, the monkeypox epidemic has spread from Africa to Europe and Asia, and confirmed patients infected with the monkeypox virus have been found in Sweden and Pakistan.
According to the latest data from the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year the African Union has 12 member States with monkeypox outbreaks, with a total of 18,737 reported cases of monkeypox, including 3,101 confirmed cases, 15,636 suspected cases and 541 deaths, representing a mortality rate of 2.89 per cent.

What is monkeypox?

（Monkeypox ,MPX) is a viral zoonosis caused by the monkey pox virus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans or between humans, with fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes as representative symptoms.

Monkeypox virus mainly invades the human body through mucous membranes and broken skin, and the sources of infection include monkeypox cases and infected rodents, monkeys and apes and other non-human primates. After infection with monkeypox virus, the incubation period is 5~21 days, mostly 6~13 days.

The population is generally susceptible to the monkeypox virus, although there is a degree of cross-protection against the monkeypox virus due to the similar genetic and antigenic characteristics of the same species of orthopoxviruses that have been vaccinated against smallpox. At this stage, the main mode of transmission of monkeypox is through sexual contact among men who have sex with men, and the risk of monkeypox virus infection in the general population is currently low.

What's different about this round of Monkey Pox?

Since the beginning of the year, the main strain of monkeypox virus, the ‘branch II strain’, has caused a major global outbreak. Worryingly, the proportion of recent cases of the ‘branch I strain’, which is more severe and lethal and has been diagnosed outside the African continent, is increasing. Meanwhile, a new, more lethal and more transmissible variant of ‘branch Ib’ has been spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since last September.

The striking feature of this outbreak is that women and children under 15 years of age are the most affected.
Data show that more than 70 percent of all reported infections are among patients under 15 years of age, and among deaths, the figure is as high as 85 percent. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the mortality rate among children is four times higher than among adults.

What is the risk of spreading monkeypox?

The risk of transnational transmission of monkeypox virus may increase due to the peak travelling season and frequent international contacts. However, the monkeypox virus is mainly transmitted through prolonged close contact, such as sexual intercourse, skin-to-skin contact and close breathing or talking with other people, and the ability of interpersonal transmission is relatively weak.

How to prevent Monkey Pox?

1. Avoid sexual intercourse with persons of unknown health status. Outbound travellers should pay attention to information on monkeypox outbreaks in destination countries and regions and refrain from contacting rodents, primates and other animals.

2.If high-risk behaviour occurs, self-health monitoring should be done for 21 days and no further close contact should be made with others, and symptoms such as rashes, herpes and fever should be sought and the doctor should be informed of the history of the behaviour.

3. If family members or friends are diagnosed with monkeypox, they should pay attention to personal protection, not to be in close contact with the patient, and at the same time avoid contact with the patient's used clothes, bedding, towels and other daily necessities, and avoid sharing the bathroom, and be diligent in washing hands and ventilation.

Monkey Pox Diagnostic Reagents

Monkeypox diagnostic reagents can be used to determine the infection of monkeypox by detecting the viral antigen or antibody, so as to take corresponding isolation and treatment measures, which plays quite an important role in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. At present, the monkeypox diagnostic reagents developed by Anhui DEEPBLUE Medical Technology Co.

1.Monkeypox Antigen Test Kit: Using colloidal gold method, specimens of oropharyngeal swab, nasopharyngeal swab or skin exudate are collected for testing, capable of detecting monkeypox virus antigens, and determining the infection by detecting the presence of viral antigens.

2.Monkeypox Antibody Test Kit: Using colloidal gold method, the sample is venous whole blood, or plasma or serum specimen, which is able to detect the antibody produced against monkeypox virus in human body or animal, and determine the infection by detecting the presence of antibody.

3.Monkeypox Virus Nucleic Acid Test Kit: A real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR method, the sample is exudate from the lesion, capable of detecting the nucleic acid of monkeypox virus, and determining the infection by detecting the genome of the virus or specific gene fragments.

Since 2022, DEEPBLUE Medical's monkeypox diagnostic reagents have been validated and tested in U.S. laboratories using real strain samples and have passed CE certification for their stable and reliable performance. These different reagents have different sensitivities and specificities for different sample types, providing strong support for the detection of monkeypox infection in a multi-dimensional and all-round way, which can better support the effective prevention and control of the epidemic.

In the future, DEEPBLUE Medical will continue to leverage its unique advantages of years of deep ploughing in the in vitro diagnostic industry, increase its R&D efforts, and contribute to the health of mankind.