The West African version of the monkeypox virus, which can cause epidemics in different countries, is different from previously stored strains, said Alexander Semenov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, head of the Yekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections of the Rospotrebnadzor State Vector Scientific Center for Virology and Biotechnology. However, they are not critical, and experts cannot yet say that the virus has acquired special new features. This has been reported TASS.
“Foreign and Russian experts who have studied the genome agree that the epidemic in different countries is a single source of origin, because the genomes are often similar. This is the West African version of the virus, less pathogenic, so the disease progresses safely and benignly. Certain strains of the virus are derived from previously stored species. “There are differences, but they are not critical and so far we cannot say that the virus has acquired any special new features,” he said.
According to him, there are already preliminary data on the composition of the monkeypox virus genome from patients infected in early May. Clinical material was obtained from them between 15-17 May.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General declaration More than 550 cases of monkeypox infection in 30 countries of the world are registered in the world.