Several cases of monkeypox have been reported or suspected in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain and the United States.
Outbreaks are alarming because the viral disease, which is spread through close contact and found in monkeys, is found mainly in West and Central Africa and only occasionally spreads elsewhere.
Here’s what scientists know so far.
“Very unusual”
Monkeypox is a virus that causes symptoms of fever as well as a distinctive uneven rash. It is usually mild, although there are two main strains: the Congo strain, which is heavier – up to 10 percent mortality – and the West African strain, which has a mortality rate of about 1 percent. Cases in the United Kingdom have been reported as a West African strain.
“Historically, there have been very few cases. This has only happened eight times in the past this year, “said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said it was” very unusual “.
Portugal has registered five confirmed cases and Spain is testing 23 potential cases. None of the parties has reported any cases before.
The United States also reported one case.
Transmission
The virus is spread through close contact, both through animal transfusions and less frequently between humans. It was first discovered in monkeys in 1958, hence the name, although rodents are now considered the likely main animal host.
The show has puzzled experts this time around, as a number of cases in the UK – nine on May 18 – have little to do with each other. Only the first case, reported on May 6, recently traveled to Nigeria.
Therefore, experts warn of wider transmission if cases are not reported.
The UK Health Security Agency’s signal also emphasized that the latest cases are mainly among men who identify themselves as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, and advised these groups to be aware.
Scientists are now performing genomic sequencing to see if the viruses are linked, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week.
Why now?
One possible scenario behind the increase in cases is increased travel with the removal of restrictions on COVID-19.
“My working theory would be that there’s a lot of that in West and Central Africa, travel has resumed, so we’re seeing more cases,” Whitworth said.
Monkeypox warns virologists because it belongs to the smallpox family, although it causes a less serious disease.
Smallpox was eradicated by vaccination in 1980, and the vaccine has since been removed. But it also protects against monkeypox, so halting vaccination campaigns has led to a surge in monkeypox in areas where the disease is endemic, according to Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA in California.
She said an urgent investigation into the new cases was important because “they could suggest a new way to spread or change the virus, but all that remains to be determined.”
Experts urged people not to panic.
“It’s not going to cause a national epidemic like COVID, but it’s a serious outbreak of a serious disease – and we need to take it seriously,” Whitworth said.
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