Bloomberg citing the scientists said the latest strain of monkeypox has about 50 genetic variations compared to related viruses that circulated in 2018-2019.
They found the virus is continuing to evolve during the current outbreak, including a number of small changes in the genetic code, minor gene variants and a deleted gene, according to a study published in Nature Medicine on Friday.
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“It was quite unexpected to find so many mutations in the 2022 monkeypox virus,” said Joao Paulo Gomes from the National Institute of Health in Lisbon and one of the authors of the report.
“In fact, considering the genome characteristics of this type of virus, no more than one or two mutations are likely to emerge each year.”
On Thursday, the WHO agreed an expert committee to decide whether the expanding outbreak of monkeypox should be declared an international health emergency.
Earlier on 22 June, World Health Network (WHN) announced monkeypox outbreak a pandemic.
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The monkeypox virus is more stable and slower to mutate than the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
In the past, monkeypox hasn’t spread easily from person to person. It’s still unclear how the mutations seen in the current monkeypox virus might change any of those attributes, or the severity of the disease it causes. More research is needed to better understand the changes in the virus, the researchers said.
Monkeypox and smallpox come from the same virus family, called Orthopoxvirus. Monkeypox is a viral infection that originated in rodents and primates and transmitted to people. It was found in Africa, mostly around tropical rainforest regions but has now spreading across the world especially in Western countries. According to WHO, Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Many of the current cases are primarily among men who have sex with men.
Authorities all over the world are tracking the evolution of the monkeypox outbreak and expanding vaccination to more at-risk groups to try to contain the spread of the virus, with more than 3,300 cases reported globally. The emergency committee of the World Health Organization is expected to announce soon whether it will declare the latest outbreak a public health emergency of international concern — its highest alert level.
Meanwhile, British officials said the monkeypox outbreak in the UK is growing across the country, mainly among men who are gay or bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. They urged those with new or multiple sex partners to be vigilant for the symptoms of monkeypox.
Of the 810 monkeypox cases in the UK to date, five are in women. Among those who completed a detailed survey, 96% of those infected patients were men who were gay, bisexual or had sex with other men. Among the nearly 50 countries reporting monkeypox cases globally, Britain has the biggest outbreak beyond Africa.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have also said there was evidence of local transmission of monkeypox, as well as cases reported in people who have traveled abroad. The cases are mainly occurring in men who engage in sexual relations with other men, but women are also getting infected, CDC staff member Dr. Agam Rao said at a panel meeting.
The lesions associated with the present monkeypox outbreak are also smaller than those typical of classic monkeypox, Rao said.
The CDC, which is looking to expand the use of the monkeypox vaccine for children, said the virus was behaving as it expected.
“We’re sequencing all specimens that we can get our hands on,” Gregory Armstrong, director of the CDC’s Office of Advanced Molecular Detection within the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, said in an interview Thursday. Thus far, the CDC is getting specimens from public health labs, he said.
“All the evidence so far suggests the virus is behaving as we anticipated,” he said. “It’s much more stable than most viruses, and we don’t anticipate that it’s going to be mutating at the rate of SARS-CoV-2. “
The CDC is developing a protocol aimed at allowing use of Bavarian Nordic A/S’s Jynneos vaccine in children, if needed, according to documents prepared for a meeting of agency advisers that took place this week.
The vaccine is currently cleared for use in adults and is considered safer than Emergent BioSolutions Inc.’s ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine, which can also be used against monkeypox.
(With inputs from agencies)
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