Having chickenpox does not prevent Mpox

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a global emergency due to Mpox (previously known as monkeypox). The virus is being compared to chickenpox and questions about its contagion are also arising. A frequently asked question at the moment is “Anyone who has had chickenpox is immune to Mpox?”

These two viruses, although they have similar symptoms, are not related or resistant to each other if they are infected. Mpox is caused by the Orthopox virus and chickenpox is caused by the Herpesvirus, Varicella-Zostes (VZV), with chickenpox being more contagious and transmitting quickly than Mpox.

“They are different viruses, and the confusion occurs because the diseases have similar symptoms”says Flávio Guimarães da Fonseca, a virologist in the microbiology department of the Institute of Biological Sciences (ICB) at UFMG. Flávio explains that compared to the virus that causes Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2), MPXV is much larger, meaning that MPXV does not disperse in the air in the same way as SARS-CoV-2. Because it is larger, MPXV does not remain suspended in the air for as long and does not travel long distances.

“In chickenpox, the lesions are small, umbilicated and tend to heal quickly, usually in about a week. In contrast, mpox causes larger and longer-lasting vesicles. These vesicles remain open for longer and the course of the infection is longer, lasting up to three weeks,” ends.

Monkeypox

According to the Fiocrux website, since the initial discovery of the virus in a human case in 1970, this is the first time that Mpox has been reported simultaneously in several countries. Traditionally, the virus is transmitted by direct or indirect contact with blood, body fluids, lesions on the skin or mucous membranes of infected animals, such as rodents and prairie dogs. Human-to-human transmission occurs through physical contact (face-to-face, mouth-to-mouth, skin-to-skin, mouth and skin) with lesions, including during sexual intercourse.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 70% of reported cases of Mpox are in children under 15 years of age. Unlike chickenpox in children, the disease is usually mild, but in adults the disease can be more severe. Mpox, which is being reported commonly in children, has a mortality rate four times higher than in adults. In November 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended changing the name to Mpox, to avoid association with monkeys, which are not part of the disease cycle.

_{MPOX OUTBREAK | Why was smallpox extinct, but MPOX was not? (Video/Reproduction: Jornal O Globo/YouTube)}

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Symptoms and Treatment

The main symptoms of the virus are: skin rashes (blisters, wounds with or without crusting); adenomegaly, which is characterized by swollen lymph nodes and is also called “swollen lymph nodes”; fever; body aches; headache; chills and weakness. Symptoms are similar to chickenpox and the flu virus and are therefore confused by the population.

According to the Ministry of Health, there is currently no medication available that is specific for the treatment of Mpox. The current protocol followed is clinical support to alleviate symptoms, prevent and treat complications, and avoid sequelae. Symptoms are generally mild to moderate.

Featured photo: MPXV virus particles (in green) attached to Vero cell cytoskeleton filaments. (Reproduction: Debora Ferreira Barreto Vieira/ Portal Fiocruz)