Mpox patient had 75 sexual partners in 21 days before developing symptoms, study finds
A review of the mpox outbreak in Ireland also found that 96.5 per cent of infections had been sexually transmitted, and patients ranged in age from 16 to 68
One of the 229 people diagnosed with mpox in Ireland during the recent outbreak had 75 different sexual partners in the 21 days before they developed symptoms of the disease, a new study has revealed.
The review of cases also found that 96.5 per cent of confirmed infections had been sexually transmitted. All but three of the infected patients were men, and 98.6 per cent identified as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men (gbMSM).
The youngest patient was 16 and the oldest was 68, and more than one in four (28.3 per cent) were HIV positive, according to a new study conducted by experts with the HSE and Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC).
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Nearly half of the confirmed cases (46.8 per cent) involved patients who had been born in Ireland, while one in three were from Latin America, and just over 13 per cent were from elsewhere in Europe.
The paper examined monkeypox cases and the response in Ireland between May 2022 and May 2023. Monkeypox was renamed mpox by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in November 2022.
It was made a notifiable infectious disease on May 27, 2022, and a total of 229 confirmed cases were recorded in the country over the following 12-month period. Infections peaked in August 2022 and then rapidly declined.
Mpox, which is naturally found in some Central and West African countries, is characterised by a painful rash or mucosal lesions. It is spread through close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, or contaminated materials such as bedding.
Most cases are mild, and only 20 of the infections reported in Ireland resulted in admission to hospital. No deaths occurred.
Reviewing the country’s response to the outbreak, the authors of the study noted that public health authorities undertook contact tracing and risk assessment for close contacts, developing a national database.
On May 27, 2022, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) recommended that a modified smallpox vaccine be offered to high- and intermediate-risk contacts as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). By the end of May 2023, a total of 5,214 people had been fully vaccinated.
The study, which was published in the latest issue of the Irish Medical Journal, was partly attributable to effective risk communication, community engagement, as well as both natural and vaccine-related immunity.
While cases were generally mild in Ireland, “mpox had a substantial impact on those infected due to direct physical effects such as severe pain and the indirect mental and social effects of prolonged isolation”, the authors said.
They warned that travel-related cases of mpox remain a threat and recommended that all countries maintain testing capabilities and continue to act promptly “when needed”.
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