Antivirals May Reduce Duration of Monkeypox Symptoms

A study of several patients diagnosed with monkeypox in the UK suggests that some antiviral drugs could reduce the duration of symptoms and the amount of time a patient is contagious, The Lancet Infectious Diseases reports Tuesday.

Specifically, the analysis was carried out before the current outbreak in Europe and the United States, between 2018 and 2021, in seven patients with the disease, who managed to recover after being isolated in British hospitals, but experts have highlighted the challenges that there is to understand this disease.

The researchers looked at the patients’ responses to two different antivirals –brincidofovir Y tecovirimat-, and found that tecovirimat could shorten the duration of symptoms and reduce the time a patient is contagious, although experts warn that more research is needed.

The cases analyzed represent the first cases of hospital transmission and household transmission outside of Africa.

The study found little evidence that brincidofovir clinical benefit, but concluded that further investigation of tecovirimat’s potential would be warranted.

Since optimal infection control and treatment strategies for this disease have not yet been established, the study data could help better understand the clinical characteristics of the disease, as well as the dynamics of transmission.

“As public health officials try to understand what is causing the May 2022 monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America, which have affected multiple patients who did not report travel or a link to a previously known case, , our study provides some of the first insights into the use of antivirals for the treatment of monkeypox in humans.”said Hugh Adler of Liverpool University Hospitals, the paper’s lead author.

“Historically, monkeypox has not been transmitted very efficiently between people, and the risk to public health is generally low,” he added.

“With international travel returning to pre-pandemic levels, public health officials and healthcare workers around the world must remain vigilant for the possibility of new cases of monkeypox,” said Nick Price of Guy’s & St Thomas Hospital in London.

The monkey poxa close relative of the smallpox virus, is a rare disease classified as an infectious disease by the UK Health Security Agency.

Monkeypox is spread through animal-to-human transmission, usually from an animal bite or from eating improperly cooked meat.

Between humans, the main route of transmission, which is usually rare, is close contact.

Symptoms of the disease may include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle fatigue, and rashes on the face, hands, feet, eyes, or genitals.