How Can Monkeypox Viruses Be Stable on Surfaces for Several Days?

Smallpox viruses such as monkeypox viruses are known for their ability to stay infectious in the environment for a very long time.

Monkeypox or Mpox viruses were found to stay infectious for several days on surfaces in the household or in hospital rooms, boosting the spread risk, revealed study. Since 2022,// the monkeypox virus has been transmitted more and more frequently from one human host to another. Infections primarily result from direct physical contact. So far it was not known how long the virus can remain stable on surfaces.

"For monkeypox, however, we didn't know the exact time frames until now," Meister added.

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Monkeypox infection is a zoonotic viral infection that usually lasts for 3 weeks. It is caused by the monkeypox virus and is characterized by rash or pox-like symptoms.

‘Individuals can contract monkeypox from surfaces in the household after almost two weeks. ’

In the paper, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, the researchers therefore studied them by applying the virus to sanitised stainless steel plates and storing them at different temperatures: at four degrees, at 22 degrees, which roughly corresponds to room temperature, and at 37 degrees ().

Uncovering the Secrets of MPox Viruses: Stable on Surfaces for Several Days

They determined the amount of infectious virus after different periods of time, ranging from 15 minutes to several days to weeks.

Regardless of the temperature, there was little change in the amount of infectious virus during the first few days. At 22 and 37 degrees, the virus concentration dropped significantly only after five days.

At 37 degrees, no virus capable of reproducing was detected after six to seven days, at 22 degrees it took ten to eleven days until infection was no longer possible. At four degrees, the amount of virus only dropped sharply after 20 days, and after 30 days there was no longer any danger of infection.

Test Your Knowledge on Monkeypox
Introduction:

Monkeypox is a rare viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family of smallpox. It typically occurs in central and western Africa. Sometimes, small clusters or isolated infections are diagnosed in other countries.

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Monkeypox does not spread because of monkeys. The name originates from the initial discovery of the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958. There are two forms of monkeypox, a milder west African strain and a more severe central African, or Congo strain. The current outbreak involves the west African strain, although not all countries have looked into this.

Anyone can spread monkeypox through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, or shared items (such as clothing and bedding) that have been contaminated with fluids or sores of a person infected with monkeypox.

In order to reduce the risk of infection in the event of an outbreak, it is therefore extremely important to disinfect surfaces. This is why the researchers tested the effectiveness of five common disinfectants.

They found that alcohol-based or aldehyde-based disinfectants reliably reduced the risk of infection. A hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant, however, didn't inactivate the virus effectively enough in the study.

"Our results support the WHO's recommendation to use alcohol-based surface disinfectants," Meister said.

Reference:

Viable mpox virus in the environment of a patient room - (https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(23)00092-9/fulltext)

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