Adding to their exhaustion because of other diseases rampant worldwide, like influenza and COVID-19, infection preventionists need to understand and recognize the basics of monkeypox as well since it has made its debut in the US.
“Lions and tigers and bears, oh, my!” is an iconic quote from The Wizard of Oz, but in the world of infection prevention, that quote is starting to sound more like “Influenza and COVID-19 and (now) Monkeypox, oh, my!” It has been a long, arduous, and taxing 2 and a half years of COVID-19, and health care workers are tired, numb, or have given up to pursue non-health care careers.1, 2 Now, with the emergence of monkeypox in over 26 countries and 18 cases in the United States, some infection preventionists (IPs) in local government, hospitals, long-term care, and other health care settings are emotionally and mentally paralytic with the fear of yet another pandemic—one, potentially, more catastrophic than before.3, 4 In these times, it is paramount that IPs get back to basics, refocus, and get their second wind. They must recognize the threat, educate themselves and others, and implement best practices.
Here are a few highlights:
All IPs should take a deep breath, hold their heads high, and rise to the challenge. Inform and educate those within their area of influence, lead the initiative of quality training, procedures, and service; and most importantly, reclaim the reputable paradigm of health care. To stay up-to-date on the most current monkeypox information, please visit the CDC’s U.S. Monkeypox 2022: Situation Summary, Monkeypox, and Poxvirus pages.
References
1. Yong, E. Why health-care workers are quitting in droves. The Atlantic. Posted November 16, 2021. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2021/11/the-mass-exodus-of-americas-health-care-workers/620713/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=49ab812eb4-MR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-49ab812eb4-151759045.
2. Altarum. Health care employment falls slightly in August, remaining 3.1% below Feb 2020. Altarum Health Sector Economic Indicators. Posted September 17, 2021. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://altarum.org/sites/default/files/uploaded-publication-files/SHSS-Labor-Brief_Sept_2021.pdf.
3. Global health. Monkeypox tracker. Global health: a data science initiative. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://monkeypox.healthmap.org/.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. monkeypox 2022: Situation summary. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/index.html.
5. About monkeypox. Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP). Posted November 23, 2021. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html.
6. Malone, B, et al. Structures and functions of coronavirus replication–transcription complexes and their relevance for SARS-CoV-2 drug design. 2021, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, pp. Volume 23; Pages 22-39.
7. Takele T, Huaijie J, Guohua C, Fang X, et al. Methodical review on poxvirus replication, Genes responsible for the development of infection and host immune response against the disease. 2019, Archives of Microbiology & Immunology, pp. Vol. 3 No. 2 Pg. 3-19.
8. Moss, B. Poxvirus DNA replication.. 2013, Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, p. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a010199.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP). Monkeypox: Signs and symptoms. Posted July 16, 2021. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html.
10. Barron, M, Rohde, R. Monkeypox: What we do and don't know about recent outbreaks. American Society for Microbiology. Posted May 24, 2022. Accesed June 1, 2022. https://asm.org/Articles/2022/May/Monkeypox-What-We-Do-and-Don-t-Know-About-Recent-O#:~:text=Monkeypox%20Virus%20Structure%20and%20Replication%20Cycle&text=Like%20all%20poxviruses%2C%20monkeypox%20virions,for%20virus%20uncoating%20and%20replication..
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP). Monkeypox: Transmission. Posted May 29, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/transmission.html.
12. World Health Organization. Multi-country monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries. Posted May 21, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON385.
13. Liu, Y, Rocklov, J. The effective reproductive number of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is several times relative to Delta. 2022, Journal of Travel Medicine, pp. 1-4.
14. Branswell, H. A CDC expert answers questions on monkeypox. STAT. Posted May 19, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/19/a-cdc-expert-answers-questions-on-monkeypox/.
15. United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA releases list of disinfectants for emerging viral pathogens (EVPs) Including monkeypox. Posted May 26, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-releases-list-disinfectants-emerging-viral-pathogens-evps-including-monkeypox.
16. World Health Organization. Monkeypox. Posted May 19, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox#:~:text=Monkeypox%20is%20caused%20by%20monkeypox,been%20around%203%E2%80%936%25..
17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP). Monkeypox: Prevention. Posted December 2, 2019. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/prevention.html.
18. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Interim clinical guidance for the treatment of monkeypox. Posted May 26, 2022. Accessed June 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/treatment.html.
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