Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of monkeypox in children: an experts’ consensus statement

Abstract

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease. Since the first human monkeypox case was detected in 1970, it has been prevalent in some countries in central and western Africa. Since May 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported in more than 96 non-endemic countries and regions worldwide. As of September 14, 2022, there have been more than 58,200 human monkeypox cases, and there is community transmission. The cessation of smallpox vaccination in 1980, which had some cross-protection with monkeypox, resulted in a general lack of immunity to monkeypox, which caused global concern and vigilance. As of September 14, 2022, there are four monkeypox cases in China, including three in Taiwan province and one in Hong Kong city. Previous foreign studies have shown that children are vulnerable to monkeypox and are also at high risk for severe disease or complications. In order to improve pediatricians’ understanding of monkeypox and achieve early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment, and early disposal, we have organized national authoritative experts in pediatric infection, respiratory, dermatology, critical care medicine, infectious diseases, and public health and others to formulate this expert consensus, on the basis of the latest “ Clinical management and infection prevention and control for monkeypox ” released by The World Health Organization, the “ guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of monkeypox (version 2022) ” issued by National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant documents. During the development of this consensus, multidisciplinary experts have repeatedly demonstrated the etiology, epidemiology, transmission, clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, discharge criteria, prevention, disposal process, and key points of prevention and control of suspected and confirmed cases.

Modeling lesion transition dynamics to clinically characterize mpox patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…We have identified groups of mild and severe progressors (G1 and G3); the G1 group was characterized by a lower lesion count and more rapid disappearance of lesions, whereas the G3 group exhibited a higher lesion count and slower disappearance of lesions. Our stratification also identified age as a key demographic characteristic affecting lesion dynamics, in accordance with previous studies which suggested that younger age is associated with more likely severe outcomes, which determine the necessity and benefits of hospital-based care [17,27,41].…”

“…Notably, the cutoff value for G1 (i.e., 107 lesion counts) closely matched the boundary between CDC lesion severity categories 2 and 3 (100 lesion counts) [28]. In terms of age categories, children under 5 years old generally exhibited a longer lesion duration and a larger number of lesions, which aligns with previous reports indicating severe lesion symptoms in young children [17,27,41]. 14…”

Simulating the impact of optimized prevention and control measures on the transmission of monkeypox in the United States: A model‐based study

“…Moreover, reducing the time interval between symptom onset and diagnosis is essential for early case detection. Early detection of cases enables prompt intervention to interrupt the chain of transmission, prevent further spread of the disease, and facilitate timely isolation and treatment for patients 13,37 . Additionally, shortening the diagnosis time by increasing testing rates and promoting faster and more effective diagnostic methods will not only improve the efficient utilization of healthcare resources but also reduce the burden of disease on healthcare institutions.…”

Detection of monkeypox virus based on a convenient and sensitive single-step RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a strategy

“…Despite the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Mpox has now surfaced in non-endemic regions in 2022, presenting a new global threat. 1 MPXV is an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family, with a genome size of approximately 197 kbps. Under electron microscopy, MPXV appears elliptical, oval, or brick-shaped and measures about 200 nm × 250 nm in size.…”