Monkeypox can lead to death with encephalitis or inflammation of the brain

Spain reported on Saturday a second death from monkeypox with more than 120 individuals now hospitalized due to disease severity. Both the fatalities and those hospitalized were mainly young men.

Globally more than 1,638 individuals are now hospitalized from monkeypox due to severe conditions. Both Monkeypox deaths in Spain were due to encephalitis or inflammation of the brain and a number who are currently hospitalized have also developed encephalitis

As of Sunday, 0720hrs (New York), more than 23,238 individuals have been infected with the monkeypox virus outside the African continent and the number is rising exponentially for a variety of reasons ie…the virus has a long incubation period is between 5 to 21 days and also due to the fact a number of individuals are asymptomatic coupled with the fact that viral clearance can be prolonged in many.

The United States is now the leading country with the most reported cases at roughly 5,189 and local experts that the figures will still rise drastically as many test results are still not out yet.

What is concerning American and European researchers is the fact that hospitalizations due tomonkeypox disease severity is now rising globally and indicating a speculation that the current monkeypox strains are still mutating rapidly and changing its pathogenesis. Many of the infected are now developing encephalitis or brain inflammationa and the monkeypox virus could be mutating and becoming more neuropathogenic!
 
Already genomic sequencings being uploaded from various countries on the GISAID platform is showing that the monkeypox virus is still mutating rapidly.
 
The monkeypox deaths outside Africa come one week after the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.
 
Dr Catherine Smallwood, Senior Emergency Officer at WHO Europe told “The notification of deaths due to monkeypox does not change our assessment of the outbreak in Europe. We know that although the disease is self-limiting in most cases, monkeypox can cause severe complications. With the continued spread of monkeypox in Europe, we will expect to see more deaths. Our goal needs to be on interrupting transmission quickly in Europe and stopping this outbreak.”

Another concerning development is that many experts are now doubting the efficacy of the current monkeypox vaccines being used as case reports are now emerging that some previously vaccinated individuals are still contracting the disease with no difference in symptoms and manifestations. Some of these cases reports from Spain, United Kingdom and the United States are expected to be published in this coming week.

reference data : https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/world-map.html