Experts concerned over risk of disease spreading among kids

NEW YORK • The widening monkeypox outbreak is sparking concern that the virus could spread among a surprising cohort particularly prone to transmitting contagious infections: children.

Experts at the World Health Organisation (WHO) said last week that they are watching the potential for spread among children "extremely closely".

Already, more than 80 children across several countries have contracted monkeypox, largely through household contacts, the agency said in a media briefing.

While that is a tiny fraction of the more than 18,000 monkeypox cases around the world - with most concentrated among men who have sex with men - the prospect of community transmission is raising the spectre that the virus could establish itself in other populations, such as women and children.

The disease's rapid spread has prompted WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

"It's likely that we will see an increasing number of cases transmitted in other social networks and settings" beyond male sexual relations, said Dr Jay Varma, a professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. "No social network is self-contained. They all 'bridge' to other networks."

Anyone can get the virus, which is characterised by raised sores and sometimes causes swollen lymph nodes or other flu-like symptoms. Though its primary mode of transmission has been sexual networks, it can spread through other forms of contact.

Once someone has it within a household, it's especially easy for the virus to infect others through sharing clothes or towels, by touching sores or prolonged skin-to-skin contact like hugging.

Children, constantly interacting at schools and daycare centres, may be especially vulnerable.

As it is, they pick up dozens of viruses each year, including contagious rashes such as hand, foot and mouth disease, eliciting some fear that if monkeypox were to start spreading in child-centric settings, it could be hard to contain.

"It is inevitable that some kids will become infected and attend school while infected," Dr Varma said. "What we don't know is how likely it is that kids will transmit to other kids while in school, and, if transmission occurs, whether it will be limited to a few cases or cause a large outbreak."

Health officials from the United States' Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said earlier this month that they were aware of two paediatric cases in the country.

Another case has been identified in a pregnant woman who recently gave birth, said Dr John Brooks, the CDC's chief medical officer for monkeypox.

The good news is that there have been no deaths in the US outbreak so far.

BLOOMBERG