Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans is beginning to worry about monkey pox outbreaks in several countries. “We have occasionally seen imported cases in the past, but normally they didn’t spread further,” it said. “Now, however, new cases have been discovered in several countries. That is very unusual.”
In total, 31 confirmed cases of monkey pox have already been identified in four different countries, according to an update that virologist Marc Van Ranst posted on social media last night. There are 14 confirmed cases in Portugal, 9 in the United Kingdom, 7 in Spain and 1 in the United States. In addition, Spain also reported 40 suspected cases and 13 suspected cases are also known in Canada.
“The monkeypox as we know it is not that contagious,” says Koopmans. “So the question is, is there anything special going on that could explain this situation? A very unusual index, which has had many direct contacts, for example? Or is there something unusual about the virus?”
More contagious?
The virologist wonders whether the virus may have become more contagious. “The monkeypox’s older brother – the common smallpox or ‘smallpox’ in English – were much more contagious and virulent (meaning they caused a worse disease, ed.). What exactly causes that isn’t clear, but it’s well known that changes to the genome or genetic makeup are one way these viruses can evolve. There is therefore an urgent need for additional information.”
Monkeypox is caused by a virus and causes similar but less severe symptoms than common smallpox (in English ‘smallpox’, not to be confused with chickenpox or chickenpox). First, the patient develops flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, sweating and back pain. After about five days, a skin rash appears: round blisters filled with pus. They dry out and develop a scab.
In contrast to smallpox – which was eradicated in 1980 thanks to a vaccine – monkeypox still occurs, but mainly in West and Central African countries. As with the coronavirus, it is a so-called ‘zoonosis’, a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. Most cases occur near tropical rainforests. Animals that can carry the virus live there, such as squirrels, dormice and some monkey species.
Handover
Human-to-human transmission is normally limited, which limits the risk of major outbreaks. The virus spreads through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or internal mucosal surfaces (e.g. in the mouth or throat), respiratory droplets and contaminated objects. The incubation period (the time between infection and symptoms) is 5 to 21 days.
An infection can be determined with a simple PCR test on the lesions. According to Marc Van Ranst, his lab has such tests.
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls monkeypox “an emerging infectious disease”. “Typically, mortality from monkeypox outbreaks is 1 to 10 percent, but with proper care, most patients will recover,” it said. According to Van Ranst, the company Bavarian Nordic has a combined vaccine against smallpox and monkeypox that was recently approved by the American FDA, the agency of the American government that monitors the quality of food and medicines.
“Older adults still received the smallpox vaccine in their youth,” Van Ranst says. “50 years later, their immune system is normally still active against the monkeypox virus. There are also antivirals against monkeypox. Cidofovir and Brincidofovir were discovered in our Rega Institute at KU Leuven.”
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