Monkeypox Virus

The name monkeypox (mpox) originates from the initial discovery of the virus in 1958, during an outbreak among monkeys in a Danish laboratory. Mpox is a serious fatal zoonotic disease, caused by the monkey pox virus, an enveloped and double-stranded DNA virus. The two lineages are classified as the Congo Basin clade and the West African clade.

The mortality rate for infections caused by the Congo Basin clade is approximately 10%, whereas infections attributed to the West African clade have a reported mortality rate of around 1% ^[1]. The main symptoms are fever and rash, and most cases recover naturally within 2 to 4 weeks.

However, there have been reports of severe cases and fatalities among children. In August 2024, The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years (first in 2022), following an outbreak of the viral infection in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries. Mpox remains as a pathogen of high concern due to its multidimensional transmissibility and fatality potential.

Relevance of pathogen in transmission in endoscopy

• Only insufficient data available for evaluation

Transmission route

Human to Human:

1. Direct and prolonged close contact: contacts of bodily fluids, skin lesions, fluids from the infected blisters, respiratory droplets

2. Sexual: Vaginal, oral, anal, and kissing

3. Contaminated objects: clothing or linen of the infected, cutleries, through needle injuries in health care, or in community settings such as tattoo parlours

4. Contaminated medical devices : Otoscopes, endoscopes, surgical instruments etc.

Animal to Human:

1. Direct Contact: Direct contact with virus reservoir animals; Touching, respiratory droplets, bites, scratches. Furthermore, hunting, poaching, trapping, cooking, skinning, wild animals could lead to transmission of viruses.