LONDON –
The World Health Organization’s leading smallpox expert said he did not expect the hundreds of cases reported so far to turn into another pandemic, but acknowledged that there were still many unknowns about the disease, including how is spreading exactly and if the suspension of mass immunization against smallpox. decades ago it may have been accelerating its transmission in some way.
In a public session on Monday, Dr Rosamund Lewis of the WHO said it was important to emphasize that the vast majority of cases seen in dozens of countries around the world are in gays, bisexuals or men who have sex with men. so that scientists can study more thoroughly. the problem and that populations at risk take precautions.
“It’s very important to describe this because it seems to be an increase in a mode of transmission that may have been little recognized in the past,” said Lewis, WHO’s chief technical officer on smallpox.
However, he warned that anyone is at potential risk of developing the disease, regardless of sexual orientation. Other experts have noted that it may be accidental that the disease was first detected in gay and bisexual men, saying it could spread quickly to other groups if left unchecked.
Lewis said it is unknown whether the monkey’s smallpox is transmitted by sex or only through close contact between people involved in sexual activities and described the threat to the general population as “low.”
“It is not yet known if this virus is exploiting a new mode of transmission, but what is clear is that it continues to exploit its well-known mode of transmission, which is close physical contact,” Lewis said. Smallpox is known to spread when there is close physical contact with an infected person or their clothing or sheets.
He also warned that among the current cases, there is a higher proportion of people with fewer injuries who are more concentrated in the genital area and sometimes almost impossible to see.
“You may have these lesions for two to four weeks (and) they may not be visible to others, but it can still be infectious,” he said.
Last week, a senior WHO adviser said the outbreak in Europe, the US, Israel, Australia and beyond was likely related to sex in two recent radishes in Spain and Belgium. This marks a significant deviation from the typical pattern of the spread of the disease in Central and West Africa, where people are infected mainly by animals such as rodents and wild primates, and epidemics have not spilled across borders.
Most patients with monkeypox only experience fever, body aches, chills, and fatigue. People with more serious illnesses can develop rashes and injuries to the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. No deaths were reported in the current outbreak.
Lewis, of the WHO, also said that while previous cases of monkeypox in Central and West Africa have been relatively limited, it was unclear whether people could spread monkeypox without symptoms or if the disease could be transmitted through the air, such as measles or COVID-19.
Smallpox is related to smallpox, but has milder symptoms. After smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, countries suspended their mass immunization programs, a measure that some experts believe may be helping to spread smallpox, as there is now little widespread immunity to related diseases. ; Smallpox vaccines are also protective against smallpox.
Lewis said it would be “unfortunate” that the monkey’s smallpox could “exploit the immune gap” left by the smallpox 40 years ago, and said there was still a window of opportunity to close the outbreak because the smallpox not to be dragged into new regions. .
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