In creating a guide about monkeypox for ob.gyns., Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH, turned to research she relied on during another outbreak of the disease nearly 20 years ago.
Dr. Jamieson, the James Robert McCord Professor and chair of the department of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, had been working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2003 when doctors diagnosed monkeypox in several states.
That year, the virus was mainly transmitted by contact with pet prairie dogs, including in childcare and school settings. Of the approximately 70 suspected and confirmed cases, 55% occurred in female patients, according to one study .
Dr. Jamieson, an obstetrician with a focus on emerging infectious diseases, and colleagues at the agency published a commentary in Obstetrics & Gynecology highlighting the need for physicians to stay up to date with relevant information about the virus.
Fast forward to 2022: Dr. Jamieson – again with coauthors from the CDC – is delivering a similar message in the same journal about the need for clinicians to be prepared for this virus.
“Most ob.gyns. have never seen a case of monkeypox virus infection and may not be aware of testing, treatment, or pre-exposure or postexposure vaccine options,” she and her coauthors wrote in a primer published online.
But if a woman were to contract the virus, her ob.gyn. might well be the first clinician she called. “We are often the first people, the first physicians to see and evaluate women with various symptoms,” Dr. Jamieson said.
To promptly diagnose, treat, and prevent further spread of monkeypox, ob.gyns. need up-to-date information, Dr. Jamieson and colleagues said.
Based on data from related viruses like smallpox, monkeypox may be more severe in pregnant women and entail risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, Dr. Jamieson said.
Outliers
So far this year, monkeypox has predominantly spread among men who have sex with men. Cases have occurred in women, however, some of whom have required hospitalization.
According to the CDC, as of July 25, 1,373 cases of monkeypox in the United States were in men and 13 in women. The total confirmed case count exceeded 5,800 as of Aug. 1. The agency recently announced that it planned to make the disease a reportable condition.
In the United Kingdom, which has been hit hard by the outbreak, researchers are keeping a close eye on the number of cases in women to assess how the disease is spreading.
At least one case of monkeypox in the United States has occurred in a pregnant woman who delivered. The mother and baby, who received immune globulin as a preventive measure, are doing well, according to health officials.
“We know that infection can occur through placental transfer. In the case that we are aware of presently, it does not appear that the virus was transmitted,” said John T. Brooks, MD, the CDC’s chief medical officer in the division of HIV prevention, on a July 23 call with clinicians.
While monkeypox can be transmitted in utero and during sexual activity, it also can spread through any close contact with skin lesions or body fluids and possibly through touching contaminated items like clothing or linens, according to the CDC.