Global Monkeypox Outbreak Resurges: Australia Reports 179 New Cases in August

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Global Monkeypox Outbreak Resurges: Australia Reports 179 New Cases in August

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Global Monkeypox Outbreak Resurges: Australia Reports 179 New Cases in August

A new strain of the monkeypox virus could potentially trigger a more severe global outbreak.

In 2022, Australia nearly eradicated monkeypox within six months of the initial outbreak.

However, this success has been overshadowed by the sudden resurgence of the disease, highlighting the challenges the world faces in preparing for potentially more dangerous virus strains.

From the end of 2022 until early this year, Australia did not report any new cases for several consecutive months. This was largely due to the provision of free vaccines to high-risk groups, active promotion of safe sexual practices, and increased public awareness. Even during the WorldPride event in Sydney in March 2023, which attracted over 20,000 international visitors, only 26 cases were reported throughout that year.

However, the situation has drastically worsened. In August alone, Australia recorded 179 new cases, exceeding the total number of cases from the previous two years combined. So far in 2024, nearly 400 cases have been reported.

To date, Australia has reported over 550 cases, with only one involving a female patient, indicating that transmission is occurring almost exclusively among men who have sex with men.

“In Australia, there is no doubt that the short-term response must involve getting more gay and bisexual men vaccinated,” said Andrew Grulich, head of HIV epidemiology and prevention at the Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney. “We need to make gay men aware that monkeypox is back and here to stay, so moving forward, vaccination is the key.”

The rapid rollout of vaccines and swift detection and isolation of cases helped to curb the 2022 outbreak of the monkeypox IIb variant, which affected more than 95,000 people worldwide.

Before June, the number of reported monkeypox cases in Australia never exceeded 62 in a single month.

Grulich noted that community surveys conducted in Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, revealed that only half of gay and bisexual men had been vaccinated, leaving a large portion of the population vulnerable to infection. Last month, nearly two-thirds of the cases occurred in Sydney and other parts of New South Wales.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Clare Looker, stated that in the current outbreak in Victoria, most cases occurred in individuals who were either unvaccinated or had only received one dose of the vaccine. She emphasized that two doses are necessary for optimal protection.

Global Monkeypox Outbreak Resurges: Australia Reports 179 New Cases in August

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(source:internet, reference only)

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