Mpox outbreak

[firestar464]

Worth noting that only one person has died thus far in North America. Perhaps the death rate varies by the amount of development in a country?

[caltrek]

Scientists Warn of Increased Mpox Transmission
February 19, 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) International researchers, including from DTU National Food Institute, warn that the ongoing mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the potential to spread across borders more rapidly. The mpox virus has mutated, and the new variant, clade 1b, has become more infectious.

Genetic analyses of clade 1b, first detected in September 2023 in Kamituga, DRC, show that this variant has since undergone mutations making it more easily transmissible between humans. Scientists have identified three new subvariants, one of which has spread beyond Kamituga to other cities in the DRC, neighbouring countries, and even internationally to e.g. Sweden and Thailand. The new data may also suggest that clade 1b entails a high risk of miscarriage.

This new research has been published as an accelerated scientific publication in the esteemed journal Nature Medicine.

Originally, mpox was considered a zoonotic disease that primarily spread from animals to humans. However, in 2022, the world witnessed an outbreak primarily affecting men who have sex with men. The new clade 1b differs as both men and women are now contracting the virus. Additionally, an increasing number of infections are being reported among healthcare workers and children.

“It's somewhat like SARS-CoV-2 – the virus undergoes mutations as it spreads. For clade 1b, we see that one particular subvariant appears to have become better at transmitting between humans, and it has now been detected in several countries outside East Africa. In addition, the number of infected pregnant women who miscarry is high among those we have tested,” says Professor Frank Møller Aarestrup from DTU National Food Institute, who leads the GREAT-LIFE project

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1074243

[caltrek]

Scientists Warn Mpox Could Become a Serious Global Threat
April 1, 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Mpox has the potential to become a significant global health threat if taken too lightly, according to scientists at the University of Surrey.

In a letter published in Nature Medicine, researchers highlight how mpox – traditionally spread from animals to humans – is now showing clear signs of sustained human-to-human transmission.

Mpox is a viral infection caused by a virus that belongs to the same family as smallpox. The virus can cause a painful rash, fever, and swollen glands and, in some cases, lead to more serious illness. Mpox usually spreads through close contact with an infected person or animal.

Carlos Maluquer de Motes, Reader in Molecular Virology at the University of Surrey, said:

“The most recent outbreaks show that intimate contact is now a significant way the virus spreads. That shift in how it’s transmitted is leading to longer transmission chains and lasting outbreaks.”

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1078811

[firestar464]

[firestar464]

An animal source of mpox emerges — and it’s a squirrel

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00990-8

Squirrelpox?

[firestar464]

[firestar464]

https://bsky.app/profile/kgandersen.bsk ... s4aya3xs2c

The spread of Mpox in Sierra Leone is unlike anything we have ever seen - and we have been keeping an eye on this bug in the region for >15 years.

Given geographical spread, 50/50 men vs women, this is no "sexual network".

This could be the next one.

[firestar464]

https://bsky.app/profile/kgandersen.bsk ... aguuvnos25

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