Thread: Monkeypox - The Next Pandemic?! Not Likely, But Dangerous!!

The recent outbreak of Monkeypox has raised some troubling issues. It has never appeared in more countries of the world in a such a brief period since human exposure in Africa many years ago. A rather nasty disease to be sure.

So far, it appears over 100 cases have been found in 11 non-African countries. It is not as contagious as some other nasty viruses, but this variant may have special characteristics which are worrisome. To learn more about it, check out the latest from Nature (1).

It is also significant to note that the U.S. has ordered 13 million vaccine doses for monkeypox, just in case (2). Apparently the global spread of the virus has some people concerned. And it probably should!


"Monkeypox goes global: why scientists are on alert"

1. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01421-8


"U.S. government places $119 million order for 13 million freeze-dried Monkeypox vaccines"

2. https://fortune.com/2022/05/19/monke...us-government/

Regarding that notion that monkeypox is probably not going to turn into the next pandemic, we may need to shelf that notion for a while. BBC reports there are now 16,000 cases in 75 countries*. Back in May, there were ca. in 100 in about 11 countries outside of Africa. It has begun to spread rather significantly.

However, if you're vaccinated against smallpox, you will have at least 85% protection against monkeypox, more if you have been boosted, according to the CDC. So old timers don't have so much to worry about. Still, watch who you have direct contact with regarding skin and clothing especially, but also large aerosols and any bodily fluids.


"Monkeypox: WHO declares highest alert over outbreak"

* https://www.bbc.com/news/health-62279436

Recent sequencing data for the spreading monkeypox virus indicates that the current global outbreak occurred from two separate strains, both of which likely arose outside of Africa (1). While it is common to parts of Africa, and its primary reservoir is rodents, not monkeys, the latest evidence indicates that the spreading disease around the world came from a variant that was contracted in Africa and mutated, and apparently on two separate occasions in two different places. The data is not yet in to establish firm conclusions as to its trajectory, but this new data could be very bad news.

Moreover, these mutations appear to have allowed monkeypox to spread from human-to-human, which had not been observed before. Mutations which allowed this to occur likely happened in 2017 or 2018. BBC News has an extensive article on this for those who want the latest on what is known about this emerging threat (2). One of the biggest concerns, beyond stopping its spread, is that it could get transferred to rodent populations in the many countries where it has never been before, providing permanent reservoirs for future infections. This virus needs to be brought under control as quickly as possible.


"Discovery of Separate Monkeypox Strain Suggests Two Outbreaks Are Happening"

1. https://www.newsweek.com/monkeypox-n...breaks-1730155


"What is monkeypox and why is it spreading?"

2. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2...s-it-spreading