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Does COVID-19 Infection Increase Your Risk Of Monkeypox: What Experts Say

Does COVID-19 Infection Increase Your Risk Of Monkeypox: What Experts Say

The monkeypox disease is spreading amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. There is fear that people who have just recovered from COVID might be more prone to contract monkeypox because of low immunity.

Written by Kinkini Gupta |Published : July 2, 2022 2:57 PM IST

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided not to declare monkeypox a global health emergency. But this does not mean that people are safe from the virus. The disease had already reached more than 50 countries of the world. Doctors however are concerned about the vulnerability of the disease. The monkeypox disease is spreading amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is fear that people who have just recovered from COVID might be more prone to contract monkeypox. Does this pose as a serious risk?

Experts Opinion

Dr. Abhay Ahluwalia, a Consultant- Endocrinologist at Manipal Hospitals, Gurugram stated, "In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of co-infection between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the monkeypox virus, it is crucial to take into account the recent spread of monkeypox. Changes in one or both of the diseases' infectivity patterns, severity, management, or vaccination response may follow. The effectiveness of the diagnostic tests used to diagnose both diseases may also suffer as a result."

Dr. Ahluwalia additionally stated that the interaction between the two viruses may promote the emergence of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) with characteristics that may have an even greater effect on current pandemic management strategies, such as a greater capacity for immune evasion or escape, and burden the overall healthcare system. Nevertheless, the increase in monkeypox cases is a worldwide issue that requires investigation and study.

However, people who were infected with COVID-19 a long while ago are not as vulnerable as the people who have just recovered. There is no proof yet, that having COVID 19 at a young age makes a population more vulnerable to monkeypox. But the overall theory is that COVID-19 affects a persons physical immunity that might risk higher chances of contracting the monkeypox infection.

What Is The Monkeypox Virus?

The double-stranded enveloped DNA virus that causes monkeypox is a zoonotic virus belonging to the Poxviridae family. Infected lesions, bodily fluids, blood, aerosols, and direct animal contact are the main ways that monkeypox is spread. Additionally, it can spread through close human contact or respiratory secretions, and it shares some clinical characteristics with smallpox, including the development of a serologically cross-reactive immunity.

Before symptoms like fever, headache, coughing, and pathognomonic lymphadenopathy appear, monkeypox has an incubation period of 7 to 21 days. After that, there is typically a skin rash on the face and extremities, along with fever for the next one to three days. The recent sudden outbreaks in numerous countries raise concerns that possible genotypic mutations could change the phenotype of the virus, despite the fact that it is believed that monkeypox, unlike SARS-CoV-2, rarely spreads asymptomatically. That might indicate a virus that is more contagious or a slow, gradual transmission that is more difficult to detect.