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Monkeypox: What is it? What Should Parents Know?
Le Bonheur Children's Medical Director of Infection Preventions discusses monkeypox, what it is, what parents should know and how parents can keep their kids safe.
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Nick Hysmith, MD, MS, FAAP
Nick Hysmith, MD, MS, FAAP
Nick Hysmith, MD, MS, FAAP is the Medical Director of Infection Prevention, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.Learn more about Nick Hysmith, MD, MS, FAAP
Transcription:
Monkeypox: What is it? What Should Parents Know?
Maggie McKay: Monkeypox, we're hearing a lot about it in the news lately, but what do we really know about it, especially for parents wondering if their children are at risk of contracting it? What is it? So to fill us in on what parents should know, how likely it is for their child to get monkeypox, how it's transmitted, what the symptoms are and more is Dr. Nick Hysmith. He Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
This is The Peds Pod by Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. I'm Maggie McKay. Dr. Hysmith, I can't wait to dig right in and find out the facts about monkeypox, because we're hearing so much about it. That's what you're here for, to clear it up and let parents know how likely it is for their child to get it, what it is, how it's transmitted and more. So what is monkeypox just to dive right in?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So monkeypox is a viral illness that we originally saw crop up in Africa in the mid-20th century. And since then, we've seen a few outbreaks, not in the continent of Africa, but most recently we've seen this large outbreak in Europe and in the United States. So, it's a viral illness, much like many other viral illnesses that we see out there, just not something that we're as familiar with.
Maggie McKay: Is it similar to chickenpox at all?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So it has some similarities. The rash that is associated with monkeypox is similar to the rash that you see with chickenpox. However, the viruses are different. So chickenpox is a completely different type of virus than monkeypox.
Maggie McKay: And how is monkeypox spread?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So monkeypox is spread by contact, either contact with lesions or the rash that another individual has on their skin or, sometimes very rarely, from surfaces that an individual with monkeypox has touched and then somebody else comes along behind them and touches that surface.
Maggie McKay: So how concerned should parents be about their children getting monkeypox?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Right now, at this time, I don't think parents should be very concerned at all. We are seeing a steady increase in the number of cases in the United States. However, very few of these have been in children. It's really a diagnosis and a disease that you will get from having direct contact with somebody that has monkeypox. So unless your child has had direct contact with someone with monkeypox, then I think it's very rare and that parents shouldn't be too worried about it at this point.
Maggie McKay: And you mentioned surfaces. Do parents need to wipe down things like public shared spaces like at restaurants or at the playgrounds?
Dr Nick Hysmith: No. So I think it's important for parents to understand that that is one way that monkeypox can be transmitted, but it's essentially going to have to be you or someone in your household has monkeypox you're trying to isolate from them. And in that situation, you should probably go behind that individual and wipe down the surfaces. But when you're out in public in the community, I don't think there's any need at this point to wipe down surfaces.
Maggie McKay: And if a child did contract monkeypox, what are some of the symptoms a parent should look for?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Much like any of the other viruses we see, we start out with sort of a prodrome of some fever, some malaise, you're tired, your muscles are achy, but then the big thing is the rash. The rash is unlike anything else really out there that'll give you a rash that we see on a day to day basis. So the varicella, the chickenpox rash is very characteristic. The monkeypox rash is very characteristic as well. So they'll be fairly large lesions or fairly large blisters that are going to be much unlike anything that parents have ever seen before. So I think that just keeping an eye out for odd rashes after having interaction or contact with somebody with a diagnosis of monkeypox.
Maggie McKay: And so if a parent does think that their child has monkeypox, what do they do then?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Yeah, the big thing is talking to their primary care provider because, luckily, monkeypox does not have a severe mortality or morbidity rate, so individuals don't get very sick from monkeypox luckily. It's just it can be very uncomfortable. So the majority of patients that have had monkeypox haven't required hospital admission, luckily. They just have to have, you know, pain control and some medications that help the rash go away quicker. So what parents need to know is that contact your PCP, your primary care provider, discuss with them, let them see the rash, let them see what other symptoms the child might be having and, then, then they can go from there. But the big thing is getting in touch with a healthcare provider that can make that diagnosis.
Maggie McKay: And is there a monkeypox vaccine for kids?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So there's a monkeypox vaccine currently. And it's really right now for post-exposure prophylaxis. So what that means is after somebody has had interaction or come in contact with the rash on somebody else, we do have a vaccine that we can give in that setting to make it less likely that a child will go on to actually get monkeypox. So we do have that available. We're not using that very much right now, because we really haven't had very many children in this situation. But we do have a vaccine that's available for those less than 18 years and we can do that.
Maggie McKay: Are women getting monkeypox? Because, at least in news reports, I've heard it's mostly adult males.
Dr Nick Hysmith: Right. That is 100% correct. So the majority have been in adult males. There have been a very small number of women who have been infected. I think the last time I looked, it was around 13 or so towards the end of last month's numbers. So very, very small percent, less than 1% were women at this time.
Maggie McKay: Is that worldwide or in the states or what?
Dr Nick Hysmith: That was in the United States.
Maggie McKay: So it doesn't sound like children are at an increased risk to get monkeypox. Is that correct?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Right. That's 100% correct. They are not at any increased risk. The things that would lead to increased risk would be having a direct contact with someone with monkeypox and then, that would put you at risk for the disease. Then, an increased risk would be if you had some sort of immunocompromising condition, so you were taking steroids or you have really bad eczema or something like that. But for the most part, kids are not at an increased risk for monkeypox.
Maggie McKay: And what's the best way for parents to protect their children from getting monkeypox?
Dr Nick Hysmith: I think the biggest thing is, you know, we've been doing this for several years now with COVID, it's just making sure that, if you know of somebody that has monkeypox, if you know of somebody that is ill with any other infectious disease, keeping them away from your children for the period of time when they are infectious. So with monkeypox, that's going to be when you start having fever, you become infectious, or the malaise, the tiredness, any of those initial symptoms, until the time when the rash has completely gone away. So if your child is around anybody during that time, they could get the infection. So the big thing is going to be making sure you keep your child away from individuals who have monkeypox and have been diagnosed with it. And then, if unfortunately somebody in your household has monkeypox, just trying your best to keep them separated from your children and then, at that point, going through and disinfecting everything after the infectious period is over.
Maggie McKay: Dr. Hysmith, thank you so much for being here and for your time and for shedding some light on monkeypox and what the facts are. It's good for parents to know this. Hopefully, it puts some of their fears to rest.
Dr Nick Hysmith: Thanks for chatting with me.
Maggie McKay: Once again, that's Dr. Hysmith. Visit www.lebonheur.org to learn more about Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and be sure to subscribe to The Peds Pod on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can also check out lebonheur.org/podcast to view the full podcast library. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. This is The Peds Pod by Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Thanks for listening.
Monkeypox: What is it? What Should Parents Know?
Maggie McKay: Monkeypox, we're hearing a lot about it in the news lately, but what do we really know about it, especially for parents wondering if their children are at risk of contracting it? What is it? So to fill us in on what parents should know, how likely it is for their child to get monkeypox, how it's transmitted, what the symptoms are and more is Dr. Nick Hysmith. He Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
This is The Peds Pod by Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. I'm Maggie McKay. Dr. Hysmith, I can't wait to dig right in and find out the facts about monkeypox, because we're hearing so much about it. That's what you're here for, to clear it up and let parents know how likely it is for their child to get it, what it is, how it's transmitted and more. So what is monkeypox just to dive right in?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So monkeypox is a viral illness that we originally saw crop up in Africa in the mid-20th century. And since then, we've seen a few outbreaks, not in the continent of Africa, but most recently we've seen this large outbreak in Europe and in the United States. So, it's a viral illness, much like many other viral illnesses that we see out there, just not something that we're as familiar with.
Maggie McKay: Is it similar to chickenpox at all?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So it has some similarities. The rash that is associated with monkeypox is similar to the rash that you see with chickenpox. However, the viruses are different. So chickenpox is a completely different type of virus than monkeypox.
Maggie McKay: And how is monkeypox spread?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So monkeypox is spread by contact, either contact with lesions or the rash that another individual has on their skin or, sometimes very rarely, from surfaces that an individual with monkeypox has touched and then somebody else comes along behind them and touches that surface.
Maggie McKay: So how concerned should parents be about their children getting monkeypox?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Right now, at this time, I don't think parents should be very concerned at all. We are seeing a steady increase in the number of cases in the United States. However, very few of these have been in children. It's really a diagnosis and a disease that you will get from having direct contact with somebody that has monkeypox. So unless your child has had direct contact with someone with monkeypox, then I think it's very rare and that parents shouldn't be too worried about it at this point.
Maggie McKay: And you mentioned surfaces. Do parents need to wipe down things like public shared spaces like at restaurants or at the playgrounds?
Dr Nick Hysmith: No. So I think it's important for parents to understand that that is one way that monkeypox can be transmitted, but it's essentially going to have to be you or someone in your household has monkeypox you're trying to isolate from them. And in that situation, you should probably go behind that individual and wipe down the surfaces. But when you're out in public in the community, I don't think there's any need at this point to wipe down surfaces.
Maggie McKay: And if a child did contract monkeypox, what are some of the symptoms a parent should look for?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Much like any of the other viruses we see, we start out with sort of a prodrome of some fever, some malaise, you're tired, your muscles are achy, but then the big thing is the rash. The rash is unlike anything else really out there that'll give you a rash that we see on a day to day basis. So the varicella, the chickenpox rash is very characteristic. The monkeypox rash is very characteristic as well. So they'll be fairly large lesions or fairly large blisters that are going to be much unlike anything that parents have ever seen before. So I think that just keeping an eye out for odd rashes after having interaction or contact with somebody with a diagnosis of monkeypox.
Maggie McKay: And so if a parent does think that their child has monkeypox, what do they do then?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Yeah, the big thing is talking to their primary care provider because, luckily, monkeypox does not have a severe mortality or morbidity rate, so individuals don't get very sick from monkeypox luckily. It's just it can be very uncomfortable. So the majority of patients that have had monkeypox haven't required hospital admission, luckily. They just have to have, you know, pain control and some medications that help the rash go away quicker. So what parents need to know is that contact your PCP, your primary care provider, discuss with them, let them see the rash, let them see what other symptoms the child might be having and, then, then they can go from there. But the big thing is getting in touch with a healthcare provider that can make that diagnosis.
Maggie McKay: And is there a monkeypox vaccine for kids?
Dr Nick Hysmith: So there's a monkeypox vaccine currently. And it's really right now for post-exposure prophylaxis. So what that means is after somebody has had interaction or come in contact with the rash on somebody else, we do have a vaccine that we can give in that setting to make it less likely that a child will go on to actually get monkeypox. So we do have that available. We're not using that very much right now, because we really haven't had very many children in this situation. But we do have a vaccine that's available for those less than 18 years and we can do that.
Maggie McKay: Are women getting monkeypox? Because, at least in news reports, I've heard it's mostly adult males.
Dr Nick Hysmith: Right. That is 100% correct. So the majority have been in adult males. There have been a very small number of women who have been infected. I think the last time I looked, it was around 13 or so towards the end of last month's numbers. So very, very small percent, less than 1% were women at this time.
Maggie McKay: Is that worldwide or in the states or what?
Dr Nick Hysmith: That was in the United States.
Maggie McKay: So it doesn't sound like children are at an increased risk to get monkeypox. Is that correct?
Dr Nick Hysmith: Right. That's 100% correct. They are not at any increased risk. The things that would lead to increased risk would be having a direct contact with someone with monkeypox and then, that would put you at risk for the disease. Then, an increased risk would be if you had some sort of immunocompromising condition, so you were taking steroids or you have really bad eczema or something like that. But for the most part, kids are not at an increased risk for monkeypox.
Maggie McKay: And what's the best way for parents to protect their children from getting monkeypox?
Dr Nick Hysmith: I think the biggest thing is, you know, we've been doing this for several years now with COVID, it's just making sure that, if you know of somebody that has monkeypox, if you know of somebody that is ill with any other infectious disease, keeping them away from your children for the period of time when they are infectious. So with monkeypox, that's going to be when you start having fever, you become infectious, or the malaise, the tiredness, any of those initial symptoms, until the time when the rash has completely gone away. So if your child is around anybody during that time, they could get the infection. So the big thing is going to be making sure you keep your child away from individuals who have monkeypox and have been diagnosed with it. And then, if unfortunately somebody in your household has monkeypox, just trying your best to keep them separated from your children and then, at that point, going through and disinfecting everything after the infectious period is over.
Maggie McKay: Dr. Hysmith, thank you so much for being here and for your time and for shedding some light on monkeypox and what the facts are. It's good for parents to know this. Hopefully, it puts some of their fears to rest.
Dr Nick Hysmith: Thanks for chatting with me.
Maggie McKay: Once again, that's Dr. Hysmith. Visit www.lebonheur.org to learn more about Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and be sure to subscribe to The Peds Pod on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can also check out lebonheur.org/podcast to view the full podcast library. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. This is The Peds Pod by Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Thanks for listening.