Risks of monkeypox virus infection in children

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Risks of monkeypox virus infection in children via Journal of Medical Virology Abstact keypox virus (MPXV) has gained global attention in view of the current multi-country outbreak affecting non-endemic regions including several European countries, Canada, the US and Australia, and without known epidemiological links to endemic settings in most cases[1](#ref-0001). The first ever diagnosed human case of MPXV infection was in 1970 in a male infant in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, formerly known as Zaire)[2](#ref-0002), and further cases have since occurred predominantly in West and Central Africa[3](#ref-0003). The limited data available from previous outbreaks suggest that children may be at greater risk of severe forms of disease with potential complications including sepsis, encephalitis and death[4](#ref-0004). Jezek et al. reported on the clinical features and outcomes of 282 patients with monkeypox between 1980 and 1985 in the DRC; 90% of patients were <15 years old (the youngest being one month old)[5](#ref-0005). Amongst unva ccinated patients mortality in their study was 11% but was higher in the youngest children at 15%. In a retrospective study of a 2003 US monkeypox outbreak (due to the West African clade) associated with imported pet prairie dogs, the first outbreak occurring outside of an endemic region, seventy one percent (24/34) of cases were in adults[6](#ref-0006). However, paediatric patients were admitted to the intensive care unit at a significantly higher rate than adults (50% vs 9%, p = 0.02) and the most critically ill patients in the outbreak were two young children whose complications included retropharyngeal abscess and encephalopathy. It however important to note that the age-specific epidemiology of monkeypox has changed over time; the median age at presentation has evolved from young children (4 years old in the 1970s) to young adults (21 years old) in 2010-2019[3](#ref-0003). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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