Thanks to a newly launched, comprehensive monkeypox registry, health professionals can share data on the skin symptoms of the disease and the vaccine to improve patient care.
The World Health Organization and the White House have declared the growing monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending that people seek medical care immediately if they develop a new, unexplained skin rash or lesion on any part of their body that they think could be monkeypox.
Any healthcare professional taking care of patients with monkeypox or taking care of patients who have received a smallpox/monkeypox vaccine and developed a skin reaction to a vaccine, can contribute to the registry by filling out a brief online form. Patient identifiers such as name or date of birth will not be collected. All deidentified information is kept strictly confidential and will only be shared with researchers compiling information.
Monkeypox is a contagious disease caused by a virus. People who contract monkeypox may have as few as one or two bumps on their skin, and the bumps can look like a blister, pus-filled bump, or open sore. Many may not have a fever or flu-like symptoms. Monkeypox typically lasts two to four weeks.
If the dermatologist suspects monkeypox is the cause, they will swab the skin lesion and send it to a lab, where a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test will be performed.
People who have been vaccinated against smallpox may be less likely to develop monkeypox. The vaccine is 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, yet many people have not received it because the last routine smallpox vaccines were given in the United States in 1972 due to the elimination of smallpox.
Treatment options for monkeypox are limited. Some antiviral medications are being used to treat people who test positive for monkeypox and are at risk of getting severely ill.
The American Academy of Dermatology and the International League of Dermatologic Societies created a similar registry on the skin signs of COVID-19, as well as skin reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine, in April 2020.
