A bucket containing suspected monkey disease was stored in a Spanish laboratory in June.
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A bucket containing suspected monkey disease was stored in a Spanish laboratory in June.
Pablo Blazquez Dominique / Getty Images
Monkey pox has been a growing problem for decades and the current global epidemic could have been avoided, but the threat posed by the virus has largely been ignored.
Dr. Anne Rimon is a professor of epidemiology at UCLA and has spent the last two decades working on monkey disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
She said the epidemic had spread worldwide beyond rural Africa.
“This virus is spreading in isolated and vulnerable populations. [in Africa] For decades, and we haven’t done anything, “said Rimoin.” We know monkey disease is a problem that can happen for decades. “
There are now confirmed cases in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. He says there are disease control centers More than 750 monkey diseases in the US – Almost in all states – but Rimon said this is definitely not known because there is not enough investigation.
Monkey pox is very rare and does not generally result in hospitalization. It usually does not spread through the air, and people get close physical contact.
So say public health experts America had to be able to withstand the epidemicAnd now the wrong actions seem to be the beginning of the cholera epidemic.
“We have no idea about the extent of monkey disease in the United States,” said Joseph Osmerson, a biologist at the University of New York. He told NPR in June.
In response, at the end of June He said he would do CDC. “Support a strong public health response to the monkey pandemic” and activate the Emergency Operations Center.
And on Monday, CDC said commercial laboratories have now begun testing for monkeys.
“This will increase test capacity and make it more convenient for service providers and patients to access tests,” said CDC Director Rochelle Wallace. He said in a statement..
Rimon asked why there was no coordinated effort to control or prepare for the epidemic in rural Africa years ago.
In 2018, the whole family in the Central African Republic was infected, but a blood sample will be taken if the baby does not show any signs of monkey disease.
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In 2018, the whole family in the Central African Republic was infected, but a blood sample will be taken if the baby does not show any signs of monkey disease.
Charles Buuselle / AFP by Getty Images
A.D. She said she wrote a paper in 2010 stating that the smallpox epidemic had increased dramatically after smallpox was eradicated in 2010.
“If we want to move forward with the epidemic, we must prioritize the fight against the global epidemic,” he said. We are completely connected to trade and travel, population growth, public movement, and we can never go wrong again thinking that an infection in a remote part of the world will not harm us at home.
“We will continue to chase after them, and we will always pay the price for not doing what is necessary.”
For now, Rimoin says it is a matter of trying to catch the virus that is already spreading.
“It’s very easy to get out of trouble,” she said.
“The good news is we have vaccines, we have treatments, so we know the exact amount of the virus. The bad news now is that we have to gather logistics to face it.”
The radio interview with Anne Rimon was produced by Ayn Beor and Taylor Hatchison, and edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon.