CDC reports first two cases of monkeypox in children in US

Two cases of monkeypox have been identified in children in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The two cases are unrelated and likely a result of local transmission, the CDC said Friday.

One case is a child residing in California. The other is a child who does not live in the US. Public health officials are investigating how the children became infected.

Both have symptoms but are in good health and receiving treatment with an antiviral drug called tecovirimat or TPOXX, which the CDC recommends for children under age 8 because they are considered to be at higher risk for infection.

Since the smallpox outbreak began in May, most cases have been among men who have sex with men. However, anyone can contract the virus through skin-to-skin contact. In the case of children, the agency said this could include “holding, hugging, feeding, as well as through shared items such as towels, bedding, cups and utensils.”

The CDC says the Jynneos macaque smallpox vaccine is being made available to children through special expanded use protocols. The agency also developed new guidelines for healthcare professionals on how to identify, treat and prevent smallpox in children and adolescents.

Researcher Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Pathogens and High Consequence Pathology, said Friday that the cases in children were not surprising and that the US should be ready to respond to more cases.

“The social networks that we have as humans mean that we have contact with many different people. And while this outbreak is spreading on a specific social network right now, I think we should have sent the message from the beginning that there may be cases that occur outside of those networks and that we need to be aware of that and ready to respond,” he said.

“I know that in Europe and other places where this outbreak is also expanding, they have reported cases in children, in women. And I think the same thing is happening and is expected to happen here in the United States,” she said.

“There is no evidence to date that we are seeing this virus spread outside these populations to any degree,” McQuiston said.

Improved vaccine supply

The US government shipped 300,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine to states and territories on Friday afternoon.

“That means hundreds of thousands of Americans will be vaccinated in a matter of days or weeks,” Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator, said Friday.

“Jurisdictions, states, territories and cities are receiving their vaccines typically around 30 hours after ordering.”

Jha said on Friday that New York City has received enough monkeypox vaccine to provide at least one dose to about half of its eligible population, while DC has received enough to provide one dose to 70% of its population. eligible.

The newly released doses increase the available supply, but cover only a small portion of the eligible population. The CDC estimates that more than 1.5 million people are eligible for monkeypox vaccination.

The Jynneos vaccine prescribing information says that a full schedule is two doses four weeks apart. The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency similar to the US Anvisa, said people need both doses to fully prevent the disease.

But in New York City and some other places with a high degree of viral spread, officials are giving a first dose to as many people as possible, even before second doses are available.

That strategy makes sense, Jha said on Friday.

“The FDA and CDC clearly believe that people need two doses. And the reason New York and many other places have been able to come up with a first dose for everyone is because we’ve been able to show them that more doses are coming and that second doses can be given to people, he said. “Given that, we encourage people to take their first dose.”

People are eligible to be vaccinated against smallpox if they know they have been exposed to the virus or if they suspect they were exposed because they had multiple sexual partners or were at an event where smallpox is known to have spread.

“We continue to see the majority of cases in the United States as being reported among individuals who identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men,” McQuiston said. More than 99% of smallpox cases in the US for which the CDC has information involved sexual contact between men.

Source: CNN Brasil

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