I’m an expert – here’s everything you need to know about monkeypox in children
EXPERTS have revealed what parents need to know about the monkeypox outbreak, after cases in children have been confirmed.
Four kids in the US and one under 15-year-old male in the UK have been struck.
The number of cases is very small compared to the larger epidemic, in which a few thousand people have been reported.
But experts have warned that children under eight are at “high risk” of severe disease if they catch monkeypox.
Monkeypox usually causes a mild disease of flu-like symptoms and a rash which gets better on its own.
It has a fatality rate of three to six per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Two deaths have been reported in Spain.
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Here is everything you need to know about the risk to your kids:
Can children get monkeypox?
Yes, children can get monkeypox.
Jimmy Whitworth, an Emeritus Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Sun: “Anyone who comes into close contact with a case can become infected."
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How can children catch it?
Monkeypox can be spread through close skin-to-skin contact or through a secondary surface like clothing, bedding, or towels.
It is transmitting differently in Western countries compared to Africa - where the virus is endemic.
It is mostly spreading via close contact, typically during sex, throught Europe, the US, Canada and elsewhere.
Gay and bisexual men make up the majority of cases - but this does not mean it cannot spread outside this group.
Dr Hugh Adler, an expert in clinical science at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, told The Sun: “Infection in children is relatively more common in African countries, where it typically is acquired via contact with wildlife.
“If a high number of cases were seen in children, this would suggest that household or community transmission was widespread.
“Fortunately this is not currently the case in the UK or elsewhere in the current outbreak.
“Household transmission is possible, but not common, certainly not like we would see with Covid, influenza, measles etc.”
Is it more serious?
The World Health Organizations says that severe cases occur more often in young children.
The CDC has warned of preliminary evidence that has suggested children below the age of eight could develop a more severe reaction to the virus.
Young children with eczema and other skin conditions, and children with immunocompromising conditions may also be at more risk for severe illness, according to the .
In rare cases, the virus can result in encephalitis (brain swelling), pneumonia, sepsis, vision loss and more, the CDC reported.
It is not clear why kids are more at risk - as are pregnant women and immunocompromised adults.
How many cases in children have there been?
The most recent cases are in the state of Indiana, where health authorities reported two cases on August 2.
The first two infected children were a toddler in California and a non-US resident from the UK who was tested in the Washington DC area.
Data from the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) also reveals that one under 15-year-old caught the bug sometime since the outbreak started in May.
Should we be concerned?
Kids and the public generally are at a low risk of catching the virus, health bosses say.
Prof Whitworth said that monkeypox is unlikely to cause an epidemic in the general population because “most people do not have very close contact with many different people”.
And Prof Adler said that if a child is infected, it is unlikely they’d be in school spreading it to other youngsters.
“Sick children (including with monkeypox) would typically be kept at home rather than being out playing with other kids, indeed they probably would feel quite unwell in the early stages, and then be in isolation if they'd tested positive," he said.
What are the symptoms in kids?
If someone comes down with monkeypox, their first symptoms are likely to be similar to flu.
They may have a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, swollen glands and exhaustion.
A distinctive rash follows, which can be confused for chickenpox, scabies or hand, foot and mouth disease.
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But what start as flat, slightly raised spots turn into pus-filled blisters. These eventually burst or ulcerate and turn into scabs.
The NHS says it’s unlikely to be monkeypox unless you have not been in close contact with someone who has the virus, or you have not recently travelled to west or central Africa.