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Z Jezek

Publications and source records attributed to Z Jezek.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Serological survey for human monkeypox infections in a selected population in Zaire.

About 3460 persons living in Kole zone of East Kasai, in Zaire, were examined and their sera screened initially by a haemagglutination-inhibition test. Of these, 667 (19%) were positive. Radioimmunoassay adsorption tests for the presence of monkeypox- or vaccinia-specific antibodies gave unequivocal results in 300 of these sera; the remaining 47 were nonspecific. Monkeypox-specific antibodies were found in sera of 27 individuals, of all ages and both sexes, giving an overall prevalence rate of monkeypox virus-specific antibodies of 0.8%. The prevalence rate was four times higher in the 5 to 9 year age group (1.3%) than in children aged 0 to 4 years (0.3%), and was highest (2.4%) in the 15 to 19 year age group. There was no significant difference in the prevalence rates between the sexes. As might be expected, there are substantially higher prevalence rates in persons living in forest galleries than in those in savannah, and among those living in areas where human monkeypox cases had occurred in the past compared with those living in other localities. Nineteen children whose sera showed specific monkeypox antibodies were re-examined. Twelve showed facial and body skin changes suggesting the presence of vesiculo-pustular disease in the past; four of these had been known registered monkeypox cases. Seven children had neither signs nor history of past vesiculo-pustular disease, suggesting that they had suffered from subclinical infection with monkeypox virus.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1987

Monkeypox virus in relation to the ecological features surrounding human settlements in Bumba zone, Zaire.

Since monkeypox virus was discovered in animals in 1958 and in man in 1971, several efforts have been made to identify the reservoir of the virus in nature. In July 1985 a study on human environments and animals suspected to maintain virus transmission was carried out in northern Zaire. The study revealed three well demarcated areas: the human settlement area, the agricultural area and the primary tropical rain forest. The first two were found inhabited by terrestrial and arboreal rodents and bats, while the larger animals have abandoned them. Data on human morbidity collected in the preceding years suggested that most of the patients were infected either in the settlement or in the agricultural area. Isolation of the virus from a squirrel confirmed this suggestion and proved, on the other hand, that the virus could circulate in an area deprived of the larger wild animals, including primates. The virus isolation and results of serologic testing suggest that out of three groups of animals inhabiting the agricultural area, the squirrels Funisciurus anerythrus should be considered a priority candidate to sustain virus transmission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Ten years of freedom from smallpox: lessons and experiences. Dedicated to the tenth anniversary of worldwide freedom from smallpox.

Many lessons and experiences were learned during the global programme of smallpox eradication, the most important being those which could be generalized and applied to other health programmes. This does not mean imitating or implementing smallpox eradication techniques to other diseases, since each infection requires its own strategy. It is difficult to dissect out the single key element or to equate the various factors responsible for the success, as these always worked together, in combination, depending one on others. For global eradication, the element of essential importance was international cooperation and close coordination of activities between nations. This would be impossible without proper mechanisms dedicated to international cooperation in the field of health, provided by the World Health Organization, which also assured mobilization of world resources for national programmes and application of appropriate techniques across international borders. The established specific, practical and measurable goals, objectives and targets made every programme worker clearly understand what was to be accomplished and to find his own role in achieving these objectives. Operational techniques had to be flexible, modified appropriately from country to country to make them suitable to present epidemiological situations, local administrative and health structures as well as to demographic and geographic patterns. It was the effective system of surveillance and outbreak-containment that ultimately proved to have been the key to eradication. However, application of skillful management, sound epidemiological principles, advanced technology and adequate logistic support contributed significantly to the achievement of the final goal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed1986

Human monkeypox: a study of 2,510 contacts of 214 patients.

A study of 2,510 contacts of 214 patients with human monkeypox was conducted in Zaire from 1980 to 1984. Among the contacts of 130 primary cases of human monkeypox, a further 22 co-primary and 62 secondary cases were detected, and an additional fourteen people who had no evidence of clinical disease had positive serological results. A majority of the clinical and subclinical cases of monkeypox occurred in children less than 10 years of age. Immunity in vaccinated persons now appears to be waning because 16 overt cases occurred in contacts who had been vaccinated. The overall attack rate for contacts without a vaccination scar (7.2%) differed significantly from the attack rate for those who had been vaccinated in the past (0.9%). The attack rate for household contacts was significantly higher than that for other contacts, among both unvaccinated (four times higher) and vaccinated (seven times higher) household contacts. Many unvaccinated contacts living in the same household as the index case under conditions of maximum exposure, however, escaped not only the disease but also infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Four generations of probable person-to-person transmission of human monkeypox.

This paper examines an outbreak of five cases of human monkeypox which occurred in children belonging to two families living in the West Kasai region of Zaire during May-July 1983. Epidemiologic investigations suggest that the first case was infected from an animal source, possibly a monkey, and that each of the other four cases was infected from a previous human case. Three of these cases of presumed person-to-person transmission occurred in close household contacts. The other case infection occurred either by casual contact within the hospital compound, or possibly because of infection due to use of the same syringe for injections. Human monkeypox is the most important orthopoxvirus infection in the post-smallpox eradication period. The disease is a zoonosis and person-to-person transmission is rather difficult. Thus, this episode is a rare event and special analysis of the circumstances is discussed. However, it supports the necessity to carry out surveillance and research on this disease as recently reported by Arita et al.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Human monkeypox: a newly emerged orthopoxvirus zoonosis in the tropical rain forests of Africa.

During the course of the recently concluded smallpox eradication program, a new human orthopoxvirus infection was discovered which is caused by monkeypox virus. The disease occurs sporadically in remote villages within tropical rain forests of West and Central Africa. The disease is rare; only 155 cases having been reported from 1970 to 1983. The symptoms and signs of human monkeypox resemble those of smallpox, differing significantly only in the occurrence of lymphadenopathy with human monkeypox disease. Of 155 cases, some 80% are believed to have resulted from infection from an as yet unknown animal reservoir; the rest occurred among unvaccinated close contacts among whom a secondary attack rate of 15% was observed. Although person-to-person spread appears to have occurred in some instances, few cases were observed in the third or fourth generation of transmission and none thereafter. Since 1982, the incidence of human monkeypox infections in Zaire has increased concomitant with an intensified surveillance program. Additional reasons which might explain the increased incidence are discussed. Further surveillance and research of this primarily zoonotic infection are warranted and are in progress.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Contagiousness of monkey pox for humans: results of an investigation of 2 outbreaks of the infection in Zaire].

The results of the investigation of two outbreaks of group monkeypox infection among humans (altogether 8 cases) in the zone of Bumba, Equatorial Province, Zaire, are presented. The primary source of infection in both outbreaks was not established, the outbreaks were supposedly caused by sick wild animals. Almost all persons affected by this infection were children aged 7 months to 7 years, never vaccinated against smallpox; the only exception was a 29-year old female patient, formerly vaccinated and revaccinated against smallpox. During one of the outbreaks the laboratory-confirmed transmission of infection from man to man was established in two generations. During the other outbreak there were grounds to suspect the transmission of infection in three generations, though the possibility of contacting infection from animals could not be completely ruled out. The existence of the inapparent form of monkeypox in humans was revealed.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Human monkeypox transmitted by a chimpanzee in a tropical rain-forest area of Zaire.

A case of monkeypox infection in a six-month-old baby girl who had been bitten by a wild chimpanzee in Kivu, Zaire, was investigated. The child had not been exposed to any monkeypox-like disease and no cases of such disease had occurred in the surrounding area during previous months. The time of onset of rash was consistent with the virus having been transmitted from the chimpanzee. However, it is still not known whether chimpanzees and other primates or lower mammals are the primary reservoir of monkeypox infection.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1983

Human monkeypox.

Human monkeypox, occurring in the tropical rainforest of west and central Africa, is regarded as the most important orthopoxvirus infection for epidemiological surveillance during the post-smallpox era. This disease, first recognized in Zaïre in 1970 resembles smallpox clinically but differs epidemiologically. Clinical features, their evolution and sequelae of monkeypox could be compared with discrete ordinary or modified type of smallpox. A case-fatality rate of 14% has been observed but some cases can be exceedingly mild or atypical and may easily remain undetected and unreported. Pronounced lymphadenopathy has been the only clinical feature found commonly in monkeypox but not in smallpox. Fifty-seven cases of human monkeypox have occurred since 1970, in the tropical rainforests in six west and central African countries, the majority of them (45) being reported from Zaïre. The disease appears to be more frequent in dry season. Children below ten years of age comprise 84% of the cases. Smallpox vaccination protects against monkeypox. Clusters of cases have been observed in certain areas within countries and within affected households. Human-to-human spread has possibly occurred seven times. No cases of possible tertiary spread were observed. The secondary attack rate among susceptible close household contacts was 10%, among all susceptible contacts 5%. This is much lower than that occurring with smallpox, which is between 25-40%. The limited avidity of monkeypox virus for human beings indicates that monkeypox is probably a zoonosis, although the animal reservoir(s) have not yet been identified. The low transmissibility, resulting in low frequency of disease in man indicates that monkeypox is not a public health problem. Human monkeypox has been a relatively newly recognized disease. Studies are in progress to identify the natural cycle of monkeypox virus and to define better its clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Special surveillance is maintained in endemic areas with the aim to provide assurance that in spite of waning immunity of the human population following cessation of the smallpox vaccination, the disease does not constitute a potential danger to man.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Camelpox and its risk to the human population.

Camelpox is mainly of economic importance due to its relatively high mortality, loss of condition and fall in milk production and weight of affected camels. Clinically, two distinct types can be distinguished: the severe, generalized form, which appeared more frequently among young animals and the milder, localized form encountered more often in older camels. A higher incidence of illness and a twice higher case fatality rate were observed among male camels. Deaths occurred in 30% of the observed outbreaks with the highest case fatality in a single outbreak being 28%. Electron microscopy was found to be the most reliable test for detection of poxviruses in skin specimens taken from diseased animals. From the 465 camel herdsmen handling affected camels, the majority of whom were unvaccinated against smallpox, only a few developed skin eruptions. All skin specimens taken from them remained negative for poxviruses. From 335 specimens taken from skin lesions of persons who might come into direct or indirect contact with diseased animals, none was found to be positive for poxviruses. From an estimated 20 000 persons at risk, only one report of a possible case of human camelpox, which remained laboratory unconfirmed, was received. A few thousand camel herdsmen and their family members, interviewed in observed enzootic areas, strongly believed that camelpox is not transmissible to man. Although there have been reports in previous literature that man can be infected through handling affected camels, experience during the smallpox eradication campaign in Somalia in 1978-1979 suggests that human camelpox very rarely, if ever, occurs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Five years of freedom from smallpox.

In 1967, when the intensified global eradication programme was launched, smallpox was still endemic in 35 countries with a total population of 1200 million and caused an estimated 10-15 million cases, resulting in 2 million deaths. Ten years and ten months later, on 26 October 1977 through intensified public health activities, the chain of smallpox transmission was finally broken in Merka, south Somalia; the World Health Organization missed its ten-year target line by ten months. In December 1979, the Global Commission concluded that the global eradication of smallpox had been achieved and the Organization formulated its policy for the post-eradication era. In May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly endorsed the Commission's conclusion and officially confirmed the international acceptance of smallpox eradication as the most outstanding achievement in international public health. This achievement has unmistakably demonstrated that the concept of disease eradication is correct and feasible. WHO encouraged countries to discontinue smallpox vaccination and/or the need for a smallpox vaccination certificate from international travellers. However, WHO is continuing its vigilance over the disease and promoting further research on orthopox viruses. Globally, US$ 313 million were spent on the eradication of smallpox from the world. However, conservative calculations indicate that in the post-eradication era, concrete economic returns resulting from the eradication of smallpox throughout the world, are estimated at US$ 1000 to 2000 million, annually. For the last five years of smallpox-free status, savings of about US$ 5000-10 000 million could be diverted for other health projects, which has had a major impact on international public health. However, there are other dividends similarly worthy as those of economic value. The most important of these are the hundreds of thousands of experienced and dedicated health workers who remain now in the countries as a solid base for implementing other important public health programmes.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Facial scarring after varicella. A comparison with variola major and variola minor.

To assess the prevalence of persistent facial scars after recovery from chickenpox (varicella), 250 subjects in Somalia in whom the diagnosis had been confirmed by electron microscopic identification of varicella virus were examined in 1979, a year after their illness; 2.4% had five or more facial scars indistinguishable from those seen among smallpox (variola major or variola minor) victims, with a higher percentage among males (2.7%) than females (1.9%). The highest proportion of those with five or more residual facial scars (8.3%) was found among young adults 20-29-years-old. The low proportion of varicella cases who had five or more facial scars contrasts with the 6.8% of cases of variola minor who were similarly scarred one year later (Somalia, 1978), and to an even greater degree with the situation after variola major, where the proportion varied from 65% for vaccinated subjects to 85% among unvaccinated persons (India, 1976). Pockmark surveys are a valid method for determining the past occurrence of variola major but cannot be relied on in areas were variola minor has occurred. However, varicella must be considered when making such a retrospective diagnosis.

Adolescent↗