A infeção mpox, causada pelo vírus monkeypox (MPXV), tornou-se uma emergência global de saúde pública em 2022. Portugal foi um dos primeiros países a confirmar casos de infeção, o que levou à implementação de um sistema de vigilância laboratorial a nível nacional. Este estudo descreve a evolução epidemiológica de mpox em Portugal entre 2022 e 2025 e avalia o desempenho de diferentes tipos de amostras biológicas...
As mpox continues to spread globally, proactive monitoring and preparedness are crucial to minimize impact and enhance response strategies. Using a mathematical model combining a negative binomial distribution with Richards' logistic curve, we reconstructed the hidden phase of mpox transmission in Portugal, offering insights into the timing and dynamics of the initial outbreak. The analysis of 950 PCR-positive ...
Background/Objectives: Mpox re-emerged in 2022 as a global health concern. Between 2022 and 2025, Portugal experienced three distinct outbreak waves, highlighting the critical role of laboratory surveillance and public health interventions. This study describes the epidemiological trends, diagnostic performance, and key lessons learned to improve outbreak preparedness. Methods: A total of 5610 clinical samples ...
Mpox is a zoonotic disease caused by the Monkeypox virus (MPXV), and since May 2022, tens of thousands of cases have been reported in non-endemic countries. We aimed to evaluate the suitability of different sample types for mpox diagnostic and assess the temporal dynamics of viral load. We evaluated 1914 samples from 953 laboratory-confirmed cases. The positivity rate was higher for lesion (91.3%) and rectal sw...
Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which marked the year of 2022 with a global outbreak. While previously considered to be a zoonosis of almost exclusive animal-to-human transmission, the current outbreak has been attributed to human-to-human transmission, particularly sexual transmission. As a new sexually transmissible disease, we studied the epidemiological and clinical features, as well ...
Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the hi...
Background: Information on vaccine effectiveness in a context of novel variants of concern (VOC) emergence is of key importance to inform public health policies. This study aimed to estimate a measure of comparative vaccine effectiveness between Omicron (BA.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2 and sub-lineages) VOC according to vaccination exposure (primary or booster). Methods: We developed a case-case study using data on ...
To the Editor: Since early May 2022, 86,746 mpox virus (MPV) infections have been reported worldwide.1,2 However, its in vivo viral kinetics and infectivity remain unclear.3 We conducted a prospective observational study to determine how long MPV remains detectable in skin lesions and the oropharynx. (...)
Pathogen genome sequencing during epidemics enhances our ability to identify and understand suspected clusters and investigate their relationships. Here, we combine genomic and epidemiological data of the 2022 mpox outbreak to better understand early viral spread, diversification and transmission dynamics. By sequencing 52% of the confirmed cases in Portugal, we identified the mpox virus sublineages with the hi...