The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided an update on the status of monkeypox as confirmed and suspected cases continue to rise worldwide.
Confirmed cases have exceeded 550, in countries where the disease is not endemic. The UK remains the hardest hit, with 106 cases reported by the WHO on Sunday rising to 179, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Portugal reported 49 cases, while in North America, Canada reported 26 and the United States reported 10.
Although the smallpox of the monkey observes a relatively high number of cases in the year where it is endemic: the Democratic Republic of the Congo has seen 1,284 cases from January 1 to May 8, 2022, the WHO notes, the which is unusual is to see cases outside countries where it is endemic. , and there is no natural reservoir of animals to house the disease.
“What we’re seeing now is very different,” Rosamund Lewis, Monkeypox’s technical director at the WHO’s Health Emergency Program, told CNN. “We’re seeing all the cases appear in a relatively short period of time. We’re seeing that in a few days, in a couple of weeks, we’re seeing more than 500 cases. That’s different. This hadn’t been seen before.”
Although cases are already high, the WHO notes that cases should be expected to increase further as surveillance is extended to countries where the disease is not endemic. While stressing that the overall risk to public health is “moderate”, the WHO said the risk could be high if the disease is established as a human pathogen, or if it spreads to vulnerable groups. such as young children or the immunocompromised.
They add that “there is likely to be little immunity to monkeypox among people living in non-endemic countries, as the virus has not been previously identified in these populations.” Vaccines that confer smallpox immunity include smallpox vaccines, which means that so far only the oldest members of society can have that protection, as the world stopped getting vaccinated once a similar (though more deadly) disease was declared eradicated in 1980.
“Smallpox and smallpox vaccines, when available, are being rolled out in a limited number of countries to manage close contacts,” the WHO said in its update. “Although smallpox vaccines have been shown to be protective against smallpox, there is also a vaccine approved for the prevention of smallpox. This vaccine is based on a strain of the vaccinia virus (generically known as “This vaccine has been approved for the prevention of smallpox in Canada and the United States of America.”
The focus of health authorities around the world remains on the follow-up and follow-up of contacts to prevent further spread of the disease. In addition to concerns about human-to-human transmission, which evidence suggests is already occurring, some are concerned that another animal or animals may act as a reservoir of disease.
“The natural reservoir of monkeypox is still uncharged to this day. Although rodents and rabbits are known to be susceptible to monkeypox, cats and dogs are unlikely to become infected with the virus. “Transmission to pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas or rabbits should be avoided, as they are likely to be ill and can transmit the virus to other people in the home,” said Professor Francois. Balloux, a professor of computer systems biology and director of The UCL Institute of Genetics told the Science Media Center.
Balloux explains that the risk of monkeypox becoming a stable reservoir in pets is low, as it requires sustained animal-to-animal contact that only occurs in nature or livestock.
“The emergence of a monkeypox deposit outside of Africa would require a spill on commensal rodents, such as rats or mice or savages,” he added. “This would be a very unwanted development, but it is unlikely to involve an intermediate transmission. Event through pets.”