S/O Monkeypox news & polio news

[Arcadia]

https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/siga-technologies-shares-higher-after-fda-approves-iv-tpoxx-for-smallpox-271652964187
“SIGA Technologies Inc. shares were up 31% to $9.67 premarket Thursday after the commercial-stage pharmaceutical company said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the intravenous formulation of TPOXX for smallpox.

The IV formulation is an option for those who are unable to swallow the oral capsules of TPOXX, the company said.

The oral formulation of TPOXX, or tecovirimat, is approved in the U.S., Canada and Europe for the treatment of smallpox. The European approval also includes the treatment of monkeypox, cowpox and complications from immunization.

…

SIGA last week said the U.S. Department of Defense awarded it a contract for the procurement of up to about $7.5 million of oral TPOXX.”

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/smallpox-drug-monkeypox-treatment-outbreak-europe-siga-2694031  (First 2 paragraph is on Siga)

“There had been no deliveries yet but the company was "well-positioned" in terms of supply, CEO Phil Gomez said.

The drug, approved to treat smallpox in the United States and the family of orthopoxvirus that includes monkeypox and cowpox in the EU, has been in government stockpiles as part of the pandemic response.

…

Copenhagen-based drugmaker Bavarian Nordic on Thursday said it had secured a contract with an undisclosed European country to supply its smallpox vaccine, Imvanex, in response to the outbreak.“

@Ausmumof3@bookbard@freesia @Matryoshka

Edited August 5, 2022 by Arcadia

[Teaching3bears]

I’m confused.  Have they done this because these monkey pox cases have come up, or did this happen before anyone noticed the monkeypox cases?

[Arcadia]

11 minutes ago, Teaching3bears said:

I’m confused.  Have they done this because these monkey pox cases have come up, or did this happen before anyone noticed the monkeypox cases?

The smallpox drugs were in government stockpiles in case of bio warfare. These drugs can also be used for monkeypox and cowpox. So these are not new drugs.

[bookbard]

Whoa. Another thing I hadn't expected . . . that they'd had to revive treatment for smallpox! (monkeypox, yeah, I know, but still . . .)

[Teaching3bears]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

The smallpox drugs were in government stockpiles in case of bio warfare. These drugs can also be used for monkeypox and cowpox. So these are not new drugs.

But the announcement and the contract?

[Corraleno]

13 minutes ago, Teaching3bears said:

But the announcement and the contract?

From what I've read, oral TPOXX was approved by the FDA in 2018 and the US maintains a supply of it as part of Project Bioshield. The FDA recently approved an IV version as well, and the Dept of Defense signed a contract with SIGA to supply the military with TPOXX (separate from the national stockpile) and to develop an "Expanded Access Protocol" for post exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is not yet included in the existing FDA approval. It was the IV approval and the DoD contract that boosted the stock price.

 

[Pam in CT]

~~~  flaps hands helplessly all around ~~~

arrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that's really all I have to say on this matter, sigh

[Idalou]

And there are already deranged people claiming this is somehow a plot by Faucci, Soros, and Bill Gates. They have proof!! This garbage will be hinted at continuously on Fox news within a few days. I think Hunter Biden had some gas deal with a place in Louisiana called Monkey Island, so no doubt a conspiracy will form with him, too. 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Idalou

[Ausmumof3]

The one thing I’ve seen mentioned which makes me very slightly more concerned about this is that apparently immune compromised people and people with eczema can’t take the vaccine. Knowing there’s a vaccine is very reassuring. Knowing it can’t be used by everyone not so much so. Although I’m assuming as it provides protection against infection not just disease they should be able to be protected by herd immunity if it came to that.

I realise we’re a long way from that even being a thing to worry about. Most likely they will ring vaccinate close contacts and it will fizzle out very quickly like has happened in the past.

[Teaching3bears]

I am hearing that so far all the cases are men and that although it can be transmitted through various forms of close contact, the cases so far have been ST.  The thing that concerns me is that they are saying the virus does not die. I think this means that if someone has it and sneezes on a sweater in the store and then I touch that sweater and touch my face I can get it.  COVID is not like that.  Still, I don’t think this is the next COVID.  I think we are all so sensitized to the last two years that any new germ in the news really scares us. 

[Ausmumof3]

1st suspected case in Aus in a man retuned from Europe

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-20/nsw-identifies-probable-case-of-monkeypox/101084864

[Ausmumof3]

https://twitter.com/marionkoopmans/status/1527155018402516992?s=21&t=vQF5zw5CYqpA5b8NDZRUaA

[Ausmumof3]

https://virological.org/t/first-draft-genome-sequence-of-monkeypox-virus-associated-with-the-suspected-multi-country-outbreak-may-2022-confirmed-case-in-portugal/799
 

Genome sequence in case anyone is interested.

[Ausmumof3]

And apparently a confirmed case in Melbourne as well.

[Ausmumof3]

A case in Germany. Up to 3 in Italy. 
2 in Belgium. 20 confirmed in UK. 1 in France. 

WHO is convening a meeting about it. 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Ausmumof3

[almondbutterandjelly]

13 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

The one thing I’ve seen mentioned which makes me very slightly more concerned about this is that apparently immune compromised people and people with eczema can’t take the vaccine.

About the eczema thing, it is my understanding that people who live with people with eczema should not get the smallpox vaccine, either.  FYI.  Dh worked for the government around 9/11 and it came up as a possibility, and dd has eczema.

[Carrie12345]

Possible case in NYC.  Not that I’m completely freaking out or anything, but guess where people from NYC like to come. 😑 

[Spryte]

17 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

~~~  flaps hands helplessly all around ~~~

arrrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

that's really all I have to say on this matter, sigh

This. Exactly.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

one of my favorite doctors on TikTok. She’s brilliant and breaks stuff down without hype or unnecessary alarm.  But this appears to have community spread and is concerning to me.

[Farrar]

I don't know if I should be more or less alarmed that they're leaning toward thinking it's airborne spread now.

[KSera]

3 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I don't know if I should be more or less alarmed that they're leaning toward thinking it's airborne spread now.

Definitely more in my mind. We’ve seen how well we (don’t) do controlling an airborne disease. Although, I somehow think people might be more likely to protect themselves from this one since it’s more visible. 

[Farrar]

2 minutes ago, KSera said:

Definitely more in my mind. We’ve seen how well we (don’t) do controlling an airborne disease. Although, I somehow think people might be more likely to protect themselves from this one since it’s more visible. 

Yes, my thought as well. Still bad either way. Sigh.

[Ausmumof3]

looks like at least it hasn’t mutated into something more easily spread so it’s just circumstantial that it’s got going (unless the Covid damaged immunity thing proves true which would be a nightmare on so many levels).

Edited May 21, 2022 by Ausmumof3

[Laura Corin]

On 5/20/2022 at 12:07 AM, Teaching3bears said:

I am hearing that so far all the cases are men and that although it can be transmitted through various forms of close contact, the cases so far have been ST.  The thing that concerns me is that they are saying the virus does not die. I think this means that if someone has it and sneezes on a sweater in the store and then I touch that sweater and touch my face I can get it.  COVID is not like that.  Still, I don’t think this is the next COVID.  I think we are all so sensitized to the last two years that any new germ in the news really scares us. 

Article confirming that UK cases have been due to sexual contact.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/20/now-we-have-to-deal-with-it-whats-going-on-in-the-uk-with-monkeypox

Edited May 21, 2022 by Laura Corin

[Melissa in Australia]

the monkeypox spread internationally has been linked to an ädult sauna in Spain

quote Health officials said a "notable proportion" of the cases had been identified in gay and bisexual men, while three cases in Belgium were linked to fetish festival Darklands in Antwerp.

"We particularly urge those who attended dance parties, sex parties or saunas in Europe to be vigilant for compatible symptoms.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/monkeypox-outbreak-linked-to-adult-sauna-fetish-festival-044923032.html

[Melissa in Australia]

I had another news article that I was trying to copy and paste but I just had a computer glitch and lost it all.

 basically it was saying that they think the mode of spread is lesion to skin contact during sex, but it hasn't been classified as a sexually transmitted disease yet.

 I thought that this might be a positive discovery as it isn't randomly spread 

 

found it Transmission can also occur between sexual partners through direct intimate contact during sex with infectious skin lesions being the likely mode of transmission

Bennett said significant close contact with an infected person with symptoms was usually required for transmission to occur - so, in theory, with good community awareness, transmission is likely to be localised, readily identified and able to be contained.

 https://7news.com.au/news/public-health/australias-top-doctor-weighs-in-as-monkeypox-cases-spark-national-response-c-6883610

Edited May 22, 2022 by Melissa in Australia

[Arcadia]

15 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I had another news article that I was trying to copy and paste but I just had a computer glitch and lost it all.

 basically it was saying that they think the mode of spread is lesion to skin contact during sex, but it hasn't been classified as a sexually transmitted disease yet.

 I thought that this might be a positive discovery as it isn't randomly spread 

 

found it Transmission can also occur between sexual partners through direct intimate contact during sex with infectious skin lesions being the likely mode of transmission

Bennett said significant close contact with an infected person with symptoms was usually required for transmission to occur - so, in theory, with good community awareness, transmission is likely to be localised, readily identified and able to be contained.

 https://7news.com.au/news/public-health/australias-top-doctor-weighs-in-as-monkeypox-cases-spark-national-response-c-6883610

I think monkeypox transmission is very similar to chickenpox. So not necessarily through sex.

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/transmission.html
“Transmission of monkeypox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch, bush meat preparation, direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, or indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated bedding. Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets. Respiratory droplets generally cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged face-to-face contact is required. Other human-to-human methods of transmission include direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens.“

 

[Arcadia]

@Melissa in Australia

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/monkeypox.aspx
“How does monkeypox spread?

It spreads from one person to another through prolonged close contact (by inhaling the infected droplets), or direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects, such as bedding or clothes. It does not spread via casual contact.

Who is at risk of monkeypox?

People could be exposed if they were in close prolonged contact with a person with the disease. A large proportion of cases detected overseas are among gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men. NSW Health is urging people who have recently returned from overseas and have attended large parties or sex on premises venues to be vigilant.”

[Melissa in Australia]

I read that too, it isn’t anywhere near as transmitable as chickenpox. Human to human spread up till now has been rare. the current spread is through sexual partners,  so extremely close contact.

[Ausmumof3]

Transmission

Monkeypox does not spread easily between people.

Spread of monkeypox may occur when a person comes into close contact with an infected animal (rodents are believed to be the primary animal reservoir for transmission to humans), human, or materials contaminated with the virus. Monkeypox has not been detected in animals in the UK.

The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).

Person-to-person spread is uncommon, but may occur through:

• contact with clothing or linens (such as bedding or towels) used by an infected person
• direct contact with monkeypox skin lesions or scabs
• coughing or sneezing of an individual with a monkeypox rash

 

this is from UKHSA report. Disclaimer / I’m old enough to remember when we though covid only spread through close contact. 
 

the main worry I think would be if it got into aged care or other institutional living settings. 

[Ausmumof3]

According to Daily mail for what it’s worth there is now a child in hospital with it in the UK.

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I read that too, it isn’t anywhere near as transmitable as chickenpox. Human to human spread up till now has been rare. the current spread is through sexual partners,  so extremely close contact.

I haven’t seen yet that they know this. Many of the cases they don’t know a link yet, unless this is very new news. Do you have a link? They are primarily men who have sex with men, but that’s a different thing than being able to say that the spread happened via sex. I’ve heard epidemiologists say the kind of cluster and spread they’re seeing doesn’t fit with what they would expect if that was the only cause. It does seem like we would see more by now if it were spreading very easily though, so fingers crossed it’s not. 

[Melissa in Australia]

I provided the link 

[Melissa in Australia]

https://7news.com.au/news/public-health/disease-experts-explain-early-ideas-about-why-the-monkeypox-outbreak-has-spread--c-6882658

another link

 all the info I posted above I included the link where I had read it in the same post. I didn't make any of it up 

[Melissa in Australia]

another link

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/22/who-expects-more-cases-of-monkeypox-to-emerge-globally

“What seems to be happening now is that it has got into the population as a sexual form, as a genital form, and is being spread as are sexually transmitted infections, which has amplified its transmission around the world,” said WHO official David Heymann, an infectious disease specialist.

[KSera]

8 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

https://7news.com.au/news/public-health/disease-experts-explain-early-ideas-about-why-the-monkeypox-outbreak-has-spread--c-6882658

another link

 all the info I posted above I included the link where I had read it in the same post. I didn't make any of it up 

None of the above said that the current cases were linked to sexual contact (only that that was one of several possible routes). The below though is the first I’ve seen that does appear to be saying that. I guess we will have to see if this is borne out as they do more contact tracing. 

6 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

another link

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/22/who-expects-more-cases-of-monkeypox-to-emerge-globally

“What seems to be happening now is that it has got into the population as a sexual form, as a genital form, and is being spread as are sexually transmitted infections, which has amplified its transmission around the world,” said WHO official David Heymann, an infectious disease specialist.

 

[KSera]

This is a good compilation thread for learning about monkeypox  This is not her area of infectious disease specialty, but she links to direct sources:

 

[Ausmumof3]

It does seem like there’s a few more mutations changes than initially thought from what I was reading. The rapid increase in cases feels scary but everyone is reassuring that it’s just a lot of detection due to being on the radar.

[Ausmumof3]

 

[Ausmumof3]

Doing some reading today and apparently the smallpox vaccine in the US stockpile is ACAM2000 which has this issue

“The vaccine may cause myocarditis and pericarditis, which are inflammation and swelling of the heart and surrounding tissues and can be very serious. Based on clinical studies, myocarditis and/or pericarditis occur in 1 in 175 adults who get the vaccine for the first time.”

This is significantly higher than the rates with the covid vaccines and there is hesitancy around using them. 
 

There is a safer option but there’s only around 1000 doses available at the moment. 
 

I have no idea if Aus even have a stockpile so I guess I’m off to do some more googling!

[Arcadia]

13 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Doing some reading today and apparently the smallpox vaccine in the US stockpile is ACAM2000 which has this issue

“The vaccine may cause myocarditis and pericarditis, which are inflammation and swelling of the heart and surrounding tissues and can be very serious. Based on clinical studies, myocarditis and/or pericarditis occur in 1 in 175 adults who get the vaccine for the first time.”

This is significantly higher than the rates with the covid vaccines and there is hesitancy around using them. 
 

There is a safer option but there’s only around 1000 doses available at the moment. 
 

I have no idea if Aus even have a stockpile so I guess I’m off to do some more googling!

Regarding ACAM2000 https://www.fda.gov/media/75792/download

”Myocarditis and/or pericarditis, ischemic heart disease and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. (5.1, 5.2)
• Encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, encephalopathy, progressive vaccinia (vaccinia necrosum), generalized vaccinia, severe vaccinial skin infections, erythema multiforme major (including Stevens-Johnson syndrome), eczema vaccinatum, fetal vaccinia and fetal death. (5.1)
• Ocular vaccinia and blindness. (5.3)
• These risks, including risks of severe disability and/or death, are
increased in vaccinees with:
• Cardiac disease (5.2).
• Eye disease treated with topical steroids. (5.3)
• Congenital or acquired immune deficiency disorders. (5.4)
• History or presence of eczema and other skin conditions. (5.5)
• Infants < 12 months of age. (5.6)
• Pregnancy (5.7)
• ACAM2000 is a live vaccinia virus that can be transmitted to persons who have close contact with the vaccinee and the risks in contacts are the same as those stated for vaccinees. (5.10)”

Regarding the 1000 doses of Jynneos vaccine https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-health-officials-releasing-some-jynneos-vaccine-doses-monkeypox-cdc-2022-05-23/

“CDC officials said there are more than 1,000 doses of the vaccine, approved in the United States in 2019, in the national stockpile and they expect that level to ramp up very quickly in the coming weeks.

Jynneos, made by Bavarian Nordic A/S (BAVA.CO), is approved in the U.S. for use against smallpox and monkeypox in high risk adults aged 18 and older.

…

"Right now we are hoping to maximize vaccine distribution to those that we know would benefit from it," said Captain Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC's High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology Division.

"So those are people who've had contact with known monkeypox patients, health care workers, very close personal contacts, and those in particular who might be at high risk for severe disease."”

[Ausmumof3]

First case of monkey pox in a school child in Quebec.

[Hilltopmom]

But no need to isolate anyone in the school- remember, schools are magical places where germs can’t spread. Oh, wait… maybe not. 

[Faith-manor]

I really did not have this on my Apocalypse 2022 bingo card. Sigh.

I fear this thing has mutated for easy transmission. 

[Hunter]

I have a sibling that was immunized for smallpox in the the 1970's. She developed a full blown case of whatever was in the vaccine. Does anyone know exactly what was in the vaccines then? Supposedly there is some immunity from these vaccines despite how long ago they were administered, but I am thinking she has even better immunity.

I have not had any real contact with her for 16 years, but I am the only one left in the family that as any memory of what happened.  She was a baby and younger than me. I was very young, but I still have some very clear memories. My dad had the car and told my mom he was working a shift at the fire station and when she called there, he was not there. One of the other men from the station came and picked her up in the ambulance and took her to the hospital himself.

I am moving across the country in just a few days. I am in no rush to make now the time to reestablish contact. But I am thinking that she needs to know her medical history. I think she may have been told about this, but ... I think she just thought of it as another weird story from a period of her life that is only weird stories to her, and that it would never have application to her present life that she has worked so hard to make normal.

Monkey Pox is concerning enough in general, but now I need to add this to my worries, along with moving. UGH! 

 

[Ausmumof3]

8 hours ago, Hunter said:

I have a sibling that was immunized for smallpox in the the 1970's. She developed a full blown case of whatever was in the vaccine. Does anyone know exactly what was in the vaccines then? Supposedly there is some immunity from these vaccines despite how long ago they were administered, but I am thinking she has even better immunity.

I have not had any real contact with her for 16 years, but I am the only one left in the family that as any memory of what happened.  She was a baby and younger than me. I was very young, but I still have some very clear memories. My dad had the car and told my mom he was working a shift at the fire station and when she called there, he was not there. One of the other men from the station came and picked her up in the ambulance and took her to the hospital himself.

I am moving across the country in just a few days. I am in no rush to make now the time to reestablish contact. But I am thinking that she needs to know her medical history. I think she may have been told about this, but ... I think she just thought of it as another weird story from a period of her life that is only weird stories to her, and that it would never have application to her present life that she has worked so hard to make normal.

Monkey Pox is concerning enough in general, but now I need to add this to my worries, along with moving. UGH! 

 

The current Small pox vax is a live vaccine and can shed to close contacts I think. But it came in 2000 so she may have had the older one.

All my knowledge is courtesy dr Google over the last week though - so take that for what it’s worth.

[Terabith]

My husband was on a deploy team in the Air Force, and he got out of getting the smallpox (and anthrax) vaccines because I was pregnant.  This was 2004, I think?  

If he had actually been deployed, he would have been vaccinated on his way out, after separating from me.  

[Hunter]

This was definitely in the 1970s on a British colony island. So many Americans do not know what smallpox is, and think it is either measles or Chicken Pox. My sister was badly scarred. I have always known the dangers of smallpox, and have always been hyperalert to any discussion of the disease.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61608384
 

Monkeypox patients should avoid any contact with their pets for 21 days, according to new advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). 

So far, 106 people in the UK have been confirmed as infected with the virus.

Gerbils, hamsters and other rodents could be particularly susceptible to the disease and the concern is it could spread in the animal population. 

The government said no cases have been detected in pets so far and the risk is still low.

"The worry is the virus could get into domestic animals and essentially ping-pong between them and humans," said Prof Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick.

[Ausmumof3]

1st case in Argentina