National Eye Institute
08/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 12:12
The latest mpox outbreak and its threat to vision
August 28, 2024
Media Availibility
Monkeypox virus (mpoxv) has re-emerged, designated on August 14 as a global emergency by the World Health Organization. Newly evolved strains of mpox viruses can efficiently spread among people. In addition to skin rashes, mpox infection can cause eye complications including inflammation of the clear tissue covering the iris and pupil called the cornea (keratitis), the tissue covering the white of the eye and the underside of the eyelid (conjunctivitis, or pink eye), and the eyelid (blepharitis).
Ocular manifestations of mpox infection. Credit Ashok Kumar, Wayne State University.
In a new review article, NIH-funded researchers Ashok Kumar, Wayne State University, and Vaithi Arumugaswami, University of California Los Angeles, summarize the natural history of mpox, its modes of transmission, and its clinical course with special attention to the virus' effects on the eye. The authors also address mpox epidemiology and potential approaches to prevention and treatment.
Reference
Chakravarty N, Hemani D, Paravastu R, Ahmad Z, Palani SN, Arumugaswami V, Kumar A. Mpox Virus and its ocular surface manifestations. The Ocular Surface. 2024/10/01/ 2024;34:108-121. doi: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38972544/