Reuters
Published Jun 02, 2022 12:25PM ET
Updated Jun 02, 2022 01:52PM ET
By Natalie Grover and Mrinalika Roy
LONDON (Reuters) -As cases of monkeypox in wealthier Western nations spark a flurry of scientific research to combat the outbreak, scientists are urging the world to make sure lower-income nations benefit from the fruits of that labor as well.
More than 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported by at least 30 countries outside of Africa, where the virus is typically found, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Scientists are flummoxed as to what is driving the current crop of cases - mostly identified in Europe so far - given they are predominantly not linked to travel to Africa.
Countries in Africa have experienced sporadic monkeypox outbreaks since the virus was first discovered in humans in 1970.
In Nigeria, there has been an ongoing outbreak since 2017, which so far has resulted in 600 suspected and nearly 250 confirmed cases, Ifedayo Adetifa, the director general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said at a monkeypox briefing convened by the WHO on Thursday.
The biopharmaceutical industry has in recent weeks made commitments deliver vaccines, treatments and develop more diagnostics to address monkeypox as the viral disease spreads in many parts of the developed world.
"We do have to recognize that this is not a new disease - this is not something that we just learned existed in the world," said Daniel Bausch, senior director, emerging threats and global health security at FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics.
"We have all this biotech interest now because this is happening in high income countries. But how do we make sure that...those scientific gains really get down to the populations that need this more consistently in sub Saharan Africa?" he asked.
The commentary comes as concern grows about pathogens that typically circulate in animals spilling into humans.
Animals and humans are changing their behaviour, including food-seeking habits to adjust to rapidly changing weather conditions linked to climate change, the WHO warned on Wednesday.
This suggests that pathogens that were once generally limited to certain geographies are more likely to spread further, and potentially jump back and forth between humans and susceptible animal species.
On Thursday, some health experts raised concerns monkeypox and other infectious diseases could be transmitted to animals via human medical waste.
They cautioned that constant vigilance and global cooperation was imperative to thwarting the current monkeypox outbreak.
It is important to limit the number of spillover events, said William Karesh, president of the World Organization for Animal Health working group on wildlife.
"If we only focus on treatments," he said, "we will probably be meeting again in two years time about a new disease."
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.