“Like a fire in the forest”: is Russia threatened by monkeypox?

The World Health Network urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize the current monkeypox epidemic as an epidemic and take appropriate action. It is reported area organizations. It is a public organization created under the auspices of the New England Complex Systems Institute in the United States, bringing together scientists, doctors and activists.

“WHO urgently needs to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). not declaring PHEIC [распространение коронавирусной инфекции COVID-19. — «Газета.Ru»] “The beginning of January 2020 is a lesson in history and should remember what a late response to a pandemic could mean for the world.”

So far, 3417 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 58 countries. Declaring the situation a pandemic, the WHA urged all local public health officials to apply the precautionary principle and use existing, necessary and proven measures to contain and stop the spread of the disease.

There is no reason to expect any further increases in monkeypox cases. The best time to act is now. By taking urgent action, we can contain the epidemic with minimal effort and prevent its consequences. The actions needed now only require contact tracing with public communication of symptoms, widely available testing, and little quarantine. “Any delay only complicates the job and worsens the results,” said Yanir Bar-Yam, president of the New England Complex Systems Institute and co-founder of the FSC.

Pavel Volchkov, a virologist and head of the MIPT Genomic Engineering Laboratory, agrees with the need to contain the spread of monkeypox.

“In any case, the strategy for dealing with any viral infection is that the sooner you take action, the more likely it is to beat the epidemic, or in this case already a pandemic. Therefore, I fully support the idea that it is necessary to sound the alarm with such numbers now. At the very least, “To localize all infected and foci of infection. Judging by the fact that there are already three thousand patients, it seems that there are many more undiagnosed cases,” he said.

If human-to-human transmission is not prevented, the virus will start to adapt and it will get better and better transmitted between people, Volchkov explains.

“We saw this story with SARS-CoV-2 and now unfortunately we can see it with monkeypox virus.

But you have to understand that you shouldn’t fall into some kind of hysteria – we won’t have the same problem with COVID-19. This is a different type of virus and does not transmit well compared to SARS-CoV-2. But, of course, this is a very unpleasant story, and something needs to be done about it, at least with quarantine measures and vaccination in all countries that have a natural reservoir of the disease, ”the virologist added.

Volchkov also said that there is a risk of monkeypox reaching Russia. To prevent this, it is necessary to check those entering the country at the border, but it is not yet clear how such checks will be organized: A passenger can be infected and still have no symptoms. Once they appear, it is no longer so difficult to identify monkey flower. You can confirm it with the help of special tests.

“For any viral problem – epidemics, epidemics, pandemics – the sooner you act, the less damage will be thereafter. If you wait a little longer, there will be 30,000 sick, not three thousand. If you wait a little longer, it will be 300 thousand, not 30 thousand. A fire in the forest like – extinguishing the fire is one thing, and another thing is to extinguish the entire taiga, ”says the virologist.

Natalya Pshenichnaya, Deputy Director of Clinical and Analytical Studies at the Rospotrebnadzor Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, was more reserved about the need to declare a pandemic and take some serious measures.

“A pandemic is an epidemic characterized by the spread of an infectious disease throughout the country, on the territory of neighboring states, and sometimes in many countries of the world. Currently, cases of the disease have been reported in more than 50 countries worldwide. However, in the vast majority of countries these are imported cases with isolated cases of local local transmission. Local transmission of this infection continues in only a few countries (Spain, Great Britain, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, France, USA) where monkeypox was first recorded in May. Most likely, this happens because people ignore the proposed basic measures, ”she told socialbites.ca.

Pshenichnaya explained that a long incubation period (up to three weeks), frequent difficulties in collecting an epidemiological history, frequent mild forms of infection do not allow rapid identification of disease cases.

However, keep in mind that monkeypox does not spread as easily or quickly as SARS-CoV-2 or the flu. One of the main conditions of its transmission is close and prolonged contact with the patient without precautions.

“Therefore, in any case, the spread of monkeypox will not be similar to COVID-19, neither in its rate and scale of spread, nor the highest burden on health, social and economic fields. There will be no lockdowns, remote work, etc. It should be noted that it brings with it much more serious problems. The seventh cholera epidemic, which began in the 60s, continues, and here, in addition to personal hygiene, the purity of the water is very important not only in the water supply, but also in the reservoirs, ”added Pshenichnaya.

According to the head of the Department of Virology of Moscow State University. Lomonosov Olga Karpova, there is almost no reason to worry.

“First, the virus is not as dangerous as the media and sometimes doctors are talking about, as the available scientific evidence shows. Second, it is weakly transmitted from person to person,” says Olga Karpova.

However, he warns that the chickenpox vaccine (or natural chickenpox immunity) may not protect against monkeypox.

“Chickenpox is a herpes virus, and monkeypox is a smallpox like smallpox. These are completely different viruses, even in terms of the place of replication, ”Olga Karpova emphasized to socialbites.ca.

However, according to him, people with smallpox vaccination (with a scar on their shoulder) are more likely to be protected.

Karpova states that there are no prerequisites for the development of an outbreak of monkeypox yet, as the infection is difficult to transmit.

Former Director of the National Epidemiology and Microbiology Research Center. Gamalei Alexander Gintsburg, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reminded that in the current situation, same-sex sexual relations have become the main way of spreading monkeypox.

“Despite Western European legislation and public tolerance for homosexual behavior, the source of infection in Europe was two parties held in Spain, attended by representatives of different countries. They then went to their place and spread this infection. Currently, the infection spreads mainly as a result of very close contacts, not aerogenic. All the smallpox pictures shown to us now – hands with papules on infected persons – are historical pictures.

But in fact, the main characteristic feature of this infection is the presence of papules in intimate places, which are not shown in the media. “Many doctors already know that the first sign is papules elsewhere, not on the face, hands,” he said.

Rossiyskaya said in an interview with Gazeta.

Monkey pox in Russia has not yet been recorded, and perhaps never will appear, Academician said. The main carriers of smallpox were Western European countries, where communication was significantly reduced, which could positively affect biological safety.

Gunzburg also confirmed that those vaccinated against smallpox may be less susceptible to monkey disease—though that has yet to be clarified.

“Now, to more accurately answer this question, a special program has been prepared with the Ministry of Health of the Moscow Government. The application will start soon. We will collect blood from people born in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s of the last century and watch how your serum neutralizes the monkeypox virus. If it neutralizes a little, you’re protected. This needs to be tested, ”said the scientist.

A smallpox vaccine is being produced in Russia that could potentially protect against monkey disease, Gunzburg said.

“Another thing is that since 1980, when the vaccine was stopped, work has been going on in Germany to create an even more effective strain against smallpox and monkeypox. It still exists, but in very limited quantities. It is produced by a company based in Denmark.

I also think that we should intensify the work on creating a more advanced species that will be suitable for all categories of the population. For those who are immunocompromised.

For example, pregnant women, small children. They cannot use the current vaccine. Developed in Germany, the vaccine is suitable for all categories of the population. “Therefore, in addition to the vaccine we are currently producing, we need to intensify efforts to obtain a more universal vaccine against the entire smallpox group, including smallpox and monkeypox.”

A public agency called the World Health Network has urged the WHO to recognize the monkeypox epidemic as an epidemic. Russian scientists could not agree on the true pathogenicity of the infection and the possibility of its entry into Russia. socialbites.ca covered the current situation with the help of leading Russian virologists.



Source: Gazeta

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