A major expert on Monkeypox said that the disease has been a problem for many decades. While the current outbreak could have been avoided, the threat remained unaddressed.
Anne Rimoin, a UCLA epidemiology professor, has spent the past two decades working on monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
She stated that the virus only spread to other parts of Africa when it was discovered.
Rimoin stated that the virus had been spreading for years in Africa's marginalized and most vulnerable population, and that nothing has been done to stop it. "Monkeypox has been a problem for many decades.
There are currently confirmed cases in Europe and Asia as well as Australia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, South America, Australia, Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East, and South America. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are over 750 cases of monkeypox in the United States aEUR" in almost all states aEUR", but Rimoin stated that this is a significant undercount due to insufficient testing.
Monkeypox can be fatal but is not usually serious enough to require hospitalization. The virus is not easily spread by air and has been transmitted to people through close physical contact.
Public health experts agree that the U.S. should be able to manage the outbreak. The missteps now look much like the beginning of the coronavirus Pandemic. There are not enough vaccines or tests available and a poor picture of the spread.
NPR reported that Joseph Osmundson, a New York University biologist, said that he had no idea of the extent of the monkeypox epidemic in the U.S.
The CDC responded by declaring that it would continue to "lean forward with a vigorous public health response against the monkeypox epidemic" in June and activating its emergency operations center.
On Monday, the CDC announced that monkeypox testing had been started by commercial laboratories.
Rochelle Walensky, director of CDC, stated in a statement that this would not only increase the testing capacity but also make it easier for patients and providers to access tests.
Rimoin wondered why there hadn't been a greater effort to prepare or address the virus earlier in life, when monkeypox was still endemic in rural Africa.
She stated that she co-authored a 2010 paper which documented an increase in monkeypox incidences since the eradication and end of the smallpox vaccination. This vaccine also protects against monkeypox.
Rimoin stated that if we want to be ahead of emerging infectious disease, we will have to prioritise dealing with emerging global diseases threats at the sites where they are spreading. "We are all interconnected through trade and travel, population growth and movement. We cannot mistakenly assume that an infection occurring in remote areas of the globe is not going to impact us here at home.
"We will continue to chase them and pay the price for not doing the right thing ahead of time."
Rimoin stated that it was only a matter now of trying to stop a virus from spreading.
She said, "It's easier to stay outof trouble than it is get out of trouble."
"The good news is that we have vaccines and therapeutics. We also know a lot about the virus. We have to organize the logistics to face it head-on.
