Monkeypox Outbreak, a Recurring Entity that May Threaten Human Existence in the 21st Century: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The resurgence and geographical spread of monkeypox is a public health concern. It is also an implication of weak response and mitigation strategies to disease outbreaks, especially in the endemic regions where there have been sporadic disease outbreaks since five decades ago. This paper aims to review the outbreaks of monkeypox with regards to cases, fatalities, and spread. Methods: A literature search was conducted in Pubmed using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, and grey literature was also searched in google scholar. 43 literature (34 peer review articles and 9 grey literature) were included in the review. Results: 10,970 suspected cases of human monkeypox have been reported across 26 countries since from 1970 to May 2022. One thousand eight hundred twenty-four (1824) cases were confirmed, while 146 deaths have been recorded. The highest outbreaks occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.) (14) and the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) (10). The highest mortalities were recorded from D.R.C. (127) and Nigeria (8). Conclusion: the spread of monkeypox from one country to 26 countries over a period of about 5 decades is a threat to human existence if measures are not taken to contain the spread. This study recommends the need to strengthen and increase support for the Surveillance and Detection of monkeypox cases for appropriate management is recommended, especially in resource-limited endemic regions.