Studies are underway to determine whether genetic mutations in the monkeypox virus are behind the rapid spread of the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) told AFP on Wednesday.
The two distinct clades or variants of the virus were named the Congo Basin (Central Africa) and West Africa clades, after the two regions in which they are endemic. On Friday, the WHO renamed these groups Clade I and Clade II respectively, to avoid any risk of geographic stigmatization.
“Too soon” to determine
He also announced that clade II has two subclades, IIa and IIb, with viruses from the latter identified as the source of the current global epidemic. On Wednesday, the WHO clarified that clades IIa and IIb are related and share a recent common ancestor; therefore, IIb is not a branch of IIa.
“Looking at the genome, there are indeed some genetic differences between the viruses in the current outbreak and the older clade IIb viruses,” the WHO told AFP. “However, nothing is known about the importance of these genetic changes, and research is ongoing to establish the effects (if any) of these mutations on disease transmission and severity.”
“It is still early, both in the epidemic and in laboratory studies, to say whether the increase in infections could be due to the changes in the genome observed in the virus, or if it is due to factors related to the host (human)” , According to the WHO.
More than 35,000 cases registered by the WHO
An increase in monkeypox virus infections has been reported since early May outside endemic African countries. The WHO declared an international public health emergency on July 23.
More than 35,000 cases in 92 countries and 12 deaths have been reported to the WHO. Almost all new cases are reported in Europe and the Americas.
The WHO has warned that its campaign to change the name of monkeypox could take “several months”. For weeks, the organization has been concerned about the name, and experts believe it is misleading.
Monkeypox was so named because the virus was first identified in monkeys bred for research in Denmark in 1958.
However, the disease occurs most often in rodents, and the current epidemic is spread through person-to-person contact. The WHO asked for the public’s help in coming up with a new name and created a website to collect suggestions.
Source: BFM TV
