The World Health Organization this week said monkeys are not to blame for the outbreak after reports of attacks against animals in Brazil triggered health alerts, including a national health emergency in the United States, as the viral disease continues to spread. Is. ,
At least 10 monkeys were rescued last week in So José do Rio Preto, Brazil’s So Paulo state, after they were attacked or poisoned by authorities, according to the G1 news site in that country. for fear of. Later seven monkeys died.
So Paulo’s police are investigating those cases and have said abusing animals could result in prison terms ranging from three months to a year.
Despite the name, the risk of transmission of monkeypox during this outbreak is focused on humans, not animals, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said during a news conference on Tuesday.
“People need to know very clearly that the transmission we are seeing is happening between humans to humans,” she said. “It’s close contact transmission. The concern should be about where in the human population it is being transmitted and what humans can do to protect themselves from acquiring it and transmitting it. They should certainly be avoided by any animal.” should not be attacked.”
The statement was prompted by a question at a press conference in Geneva about recent monkey attacks in Brazil.
Ms Harris said the name of the virus was originally found in a group of laboratory monkeys in Denmark in 1958, but rodents are thought to be the primary animal hosts for the virus.
Some scientists and public health officials have called for a new name for the disease, citing racism and stigma, but no official change has been announced. They say the current name may have “potentially disastrous and stigmatizing implications” or may mistakenly link the virus only to the African continent, when it is now an international crisis.
The WHO is negotiating what the correct name of the virus should be, Ms Harris said. He said an announcement would be made soon.
“Any stigma of anyone who is infected is going to increase transmission,” Ms Harris said. “Because if people are afraid to identify themselves as being infected, they won’t get care and they won’t take precautions and we’ll see more transmission.”
Monkeypox virus is found primarily in Central and West Africa, particularly in areas close to tropical rainforests – and rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats and dormice have all been identified as potential carriers.
People who are sick usually experience fever, headache, back and muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and tiredness. A rash that looks like a pimple or blister is also common. Transmission occurs with close physical contact and usually spreads about six to 13 days after symptoms appear. The majority of cases this year have been in young men, many of whom self-identify as men having sex with men.
The United States this month declared a national health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The WHO activated its highest level of alert for monkeypox in July, raising the number of international confirmed cases to more than 31,000 so far.
Two vaccines originally developed for smallpox may help prevent infection with monkeypox, with Genios being considered a safer alternative. However, supplies have been limited in the United States. People can be vaccinated after coming into contact with the virus to prevent the development of the disease.
Juliana Barbassa Contributed translation.
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