Papers of the Week

Monkeypox (MPX), is a rare endemic zoonotic disease of certain areas of Central and West Africa. Nevertheless, in recent years, several outbreaks have occurred outside the African continent. Monkeypox usually presents with a flu-like prodromal period (fever, headache, chills, sweating) associated or followed by the appearance of lymphadenopathy and a typical skin rash. Transmission is suspected to be direct or indirect via contact with saliva, respiratory droplets or skin lesions of infected animals or more rarely of humans. The gold standard for diagnosis is the detection of MPX virus (MPXV) by PCR on skin lesion fluid. The evolution is usually favourable in 2 to 5 weeks but severe complications and sequelae are possible. In the absence of a specific treatment, the management is essentially supportive: appropriate local care, rehydration, analgesia and management of eventual complications.