By IDSE News Staff
Two young children were diagnosed with monkeypox, the CDC confirmed on July 22.
Details are scant because the CDC is still investigating how the children became infected, but it is likely due to household transmission. Although both children have symptoms, they are in good health and receiving tecovirimat (TPOXX, Siga Technologies).
The cases are unrelated, according to Jennifer McQuiston, DVM, the deputy director of the CDC’s Division of High Consequence and a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service. The first case was reported in a California toddler, and the other is an infant who was traveling through the Washington, D.C., area when the child tested positive. The second child is not a U.S. resident, the CDC said.
Several cisgender women also have been diagnosed with monkeypox, according to the CDC. The outbreak has primarily concerned men who have sex with men (MSM) until recently.
“Since the outbreak began in May, most of the cases have occurred within gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men,” the agency said in a statement. However, the CDC has emphasized that monkeypox can affect anyone who has close contact with people who have monkeypox, and this includes children, the agency said in a statement.
Monkeypox spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, which—in the case of children—could include holding, cuddling and feeding, as well as through shared items, such as towels, bedding, cups and utensils.
It is not unusual that other groups are starting to see cases, according to Dr. McQuiston, as more people test positive because living in a household with a positive person increases the risk for exposure.
Even pets living in the household can be infected with monkeypox, according to the CDC. The agency provides advice for people with monkeypox to keep pets from becoming infected and spreading the virus to others. Avoid close contact, such as petting, cuddling, hugging, kissing and licking. Don’t let the animal sleep in your bed, and don’t share food.
Both the Jynneos (smallpox and monkeypox vaccine, live, non-replicating, Bavarian Nordic A/S) vaccine and tecovirimat treatment are available for children under special expanded access protocols, the agency said.
The CDC has developed guidance for healthcare providers about identifying, preventing and treating monkeypox in children and teens.
Other countries also have reported cases in people younger than 18 years of age, but the numbers are small, less than 1% of cases are in those younger than 18, according to the World Health Organization. More than 98%, are still occurring among MSM, the WHO said.
As of July 22, 2,891 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States in all but five states, and 15,328 laboratory-confirmed cases and 72 probable cases, including five deaths, outside the United States, according to the WHO, which has received reports from 74 countries across every region.
