Doxycycline, an antibiotic that “cures in 2 days” monkeypox would have been banned by a decree of the Minister of Health: this is what posts widely shared on social networks at the end of May claim. But the health authorities have not banned this drug, which is also not considered a treatment for this disease, as explained by several experts to AFP.
“Doxycycline in 2 days cures monkey pox. Checked in Africa for years.“wrote a user in a tweet shared almost 3,000 times since May 28 and which has accumulated 3,700 “likes”.
Many Internet users on Twitter and Facebook in particular point out that this antibiotic is inexpensive. A box of 15 tablets (100 mg) of Doxycycline Arrow is for example available (on prescription) at a price of 3.26 euros.
On social networks, some claim that this drug has yet been withdrawn from the market, or banned, depending on the version. In support of these allegations, circulates the photo of a judgment of the Minister of Health dated 25 May 2022 “authorizing the use of vaccines as part of the management of contact persons risk of a person being infected with the Monkeypox virus” (or monkey pox).
But as we will see, the text is misinterpreted as a ban on doxycycline.
Twitter screenshot made on May 30, 2022–
May 31, 2022, prs de 400 cas have been officially recognized by the WHO outside of Africa, where monkeypox, or monkeypox, or monkeypox was first observed in humans in 1970.
The symptoms resemble, but less serious, those of smallpox, which has been eradicated for more than 40 years, thanks to massive vaccination campaigns.
At present, monkeypox is considered mild and most patients recover spontaneously.
A single patient treated… for another disease
To prove the supposed effectiveness of doxycycline against this disease, Internet users cite a study published by the journal The Lancet on May 24, 2019, which relates the case of a patient infected with monkeypox who returned from Nigeria and was treated in Israel in October 2018 and who received doxycycline “orally“.
“His condition improved and the next day he was discharged from the hospital…“, says on Telegram Sylvano Trotta, a known figure in disinformation, in particular around the Covid.
Screenshot of Telegram made on May 30, 2022–
But the doctors actually suspected that this patient had a bacterial disease, the rickettsiose vsiculeuse, which is manifested by skin lesions and flu-like symptoms, such as fever. If, at the time, the researchers note in their tude what “his condition has improved“, his symptoms then worsened after he returned home. It was only then that monkeypox was diagnosed.
Screenshot of the study, made on May 30, 2022–
“There is no evidence in this article or elsewhere in the (scientific) literature to suggest that doxycycline is a treatment for monkeypox.“, assures Yannick Simonin, Inserm researcher in the Pathogenesis and Control of Chronic and Emerging Infections unit, interviewed by AFP on May 30, 2022.
Researchers interviewed by AFP recall that monkeypox is a viral infection on which antibiotics such as doxycycline have no effect. Indeed, antibiotics fight bacterial infections and not viral infections.
“In this article, it is not mentioned that doxycycline acted against monkeypox“, adds Yannick Simonin. In this patient, a bacterial infection was suspected: it was therefore logical to administer an antibiotic.
In addition, the virologist emphasizes that this publication relates to a single patient, and cannot in any case be extended scientifically beyond this isolated case.
“Doxycycline (antibiotic) has no indication in the treatment of poxvirus infections including Monkeypox“, also indicates to AFP the Directorate General of Health (DGS), questioned on May 30, which recalls that only three antivirals are to date approved by the European Medicines Agency: TecovirimatBrincidofovir and Cidofovir.
“Tecovirimat is taken by mouth and prevents the virus from multiplying in the cellsdetails Yannick Simonin, of Inserm. It interferes with a protein of the virus and prevents its multiplication. This would potentially be the most advanced and effective treatment.“
Le High Council of Public Health recommends, however, in a notice of May 24 published on May 25 not to systematically treat all confirmed cases with an antiviral.
Doxycycline was not banned
And stop of May 25, 2022 taken by the Minister of Health is also interpreted by several Internet users as a ban on the drug.
They rely for this on the phrase “considering that no prophylactic treatment [prventif, NDLR] is this day authorized in people exposed to the Monkeypox virus“. In the publications we review, the phrase is quoted without the word “considrant“Internet users wrongly deduce from this truncated sentence that”no treatment” is authorized against monkeypox, including doxycycline.
Screenshot of the Official Journal made on May 30, 2022–
But that’s not what the official text says.
The judgment therefore notes that there is no preventive treatment for monkeypox currently authorized in France and for this reason, decides that “by way of derogation, may be authorized in the prophylactic treatment against monkeypox of persons who are contacts at risk of a person suffering from the infection or healthcare professionals in healthcare settings exposed to the Monkeypox virus: – the IMVANEX vaccine; – the JYNNEOS vaccine“.
Jean-Daniel Lelivre, head of the clinical immunology and infectious diseases department at the Henri-Mondor hospital in Crteil, interviewed by AFP on May 30, confirms that this passage simply means that “there was no medicine to prevent infection“Monkey pox.
“The only decision of this text is to authorize the use of vaccines“, also indicates the General Directorate of Health, questioned by AFP on May 30.
In a avis handed down on May 24, the High Authority for Health (HAS) recommends vaccinating against smallpox initially only people who have been in risk contact with a confirmed case of monkeypox, as well as the circle of people in contact with those -this. This is called the “ring vaccination” strategy.
Monkey pox, a mostly mild disease
Monkeypox is caused by a virus transmitted to humans from infected animals,”most commonly rodents (although the virus was first discovered in 1958 in a group of macaques that were being studied for research purposes, hence its name)“, crit Inserm on its website.
L’infection initial cases resulted from direct contact with blood, body fluids or skin or mucous membrane lesions of infected animals. In the current state of knowledge, human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with infected respiratory tract secretions, skin lesions of an infected subject or objects recently contaminated with biological fluids or materials from the lesions of a patient.
This infectious disease manifests itself for the first few days by a high fever, headaches and muscle aches, before developing rapidly into skin rashes, lesions, pustules and finally scabs. Patients usually recover spontaneously after two to three weeks of symptoms.
The state of knowledge about this disease and new cases in non-endemic countries is summarized in This article from AFP Factual.
Lucie LEQUIER, AFP France
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