Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Monkeypox Virus Can Be Spread Up To 4 Days Before Symptoms Begin: Study
Reuters: 'Considerable' Monkeypox Transmission Happens Before Symptoms, Study Suggests
Monkeypox can spread before symptoms appear, British researchers said on Wednesday, providing the first evidence indicating the virus can be transmitted this way. It was previously thought that monkeypox was almost entirely spread by people who were already sick, although pre-symptomatic transmission had not been ruled out and some routine screening had picked up cases without symptoms. (Rigby, 11/3)
Sky News: Monkeypox Transmission Occurs Up To Four Days Before Symptoms Appear, Scientists Find
Researchers looked at the time it took from when first symptoms occurred in the first patient to when symptoms developed in a second patient, and also looked at the incubation period - the time from exposure to the virus to the onset of symptoms. The findings showed four days was the maximum time that transmission was detected before symptoms appeared. (Osborne, 11/2)
NBC News: Monkeypox Spread: People May Have Transmitted Cases Before Symptoms Or Lesions Developed
The study examined more than 2,700 people with monkeypox in the U.K. from May 6 to Aug. 1. The researchers were able to link 13 of those cases to the people they infected. Ten pairs showed evidence of pre-symptomatic transmission, meaning the first patient spread the virus to the second before the first felt sick or had developed lesions. (Bendix, 11/2)
Also —
The Hill: HHS Renews Public Health Emergency For Monkeypox Outbreak
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday renewed the national public health emergency for the monkeypox outbreak, with officials stating that the virus is still very present in the U.S. even as cases continue to drop. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra cited the “continued consequences of an outbreak of monkeypox cases across multiple states” as well as a “consultation with public health officials” for his decision to renew the public health emergency. (Choi, 11/2)
CIDRAP: Meta-Analysis Suggests 14% Hospitalization Rate For Monkeypox Patients
A new study published in eClinicalMedicine analyzed 19 studies on monkeypox, which included 7,553 reported cases, among which there were 555 hospitalizations. The meta-analysis suggests monkeypox patients have a 14.1% hospitalization rate. (11/2)
