2024-09-03 07:17:06
Mpox is a zoonotic disease: it originated in the animal kingdom and was transmitted to humans through sporadic contact in the jungles of African countries. The disease is endemic in African countries. But could the virus spread the other way around, from humans to pets during an epidemic? The risk, while still theoretical, is taken seriously by health authorities.
What is mpox? Understand in three minutes
MPOX disease, which causes skin lesions on the body, has caused at least 19,000 cases and 548 deaths on the continent since the beginning of this year. Especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is considered the epicenter of the current outbreak.
The first major wave of pollution has affected many countries, including outside Africa, in 2022-2023. Starting with the first case of MPOX imported by a traveler from Nigeria, the virus has caused approximately 90,000 cases in more than 75 countries.
The current outbreak began in 2023 and is caused by another version (so-called clade) of the monkeypox virus. In this case, clade 1b. In this video, we take stock of what we know about this virus and disease. How does it spread? What are the different stages of the disease? Is it mortal? Can we treat it?
If you want to know more about this topic, we recommend you to see the decryption below.
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“Understand in three minutes”
The “Three Minutes to Understand” series of explanatory videos are produced by the vertical video department Le Monde. Primarily broadcast on platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, they aim to put major events into context in a short format so everyone can understand the news.
In most countries, people with acne are advised to avoid contact with animals as much as possible, or even to keep them away from quarantine facilities. just like in the united states. In France, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) recommend, “Before every contact with animals”wash your hands, and then put on gloves and a disposable mask. “This is first and foremost a health issue and we have made the same type of recommendations during the Covid-19 pandemic”emphasizes Florence Etoré, Head of the Animal Welfare, Health and Nutrition and Vector-Related Risk Assessment Department at ANSES.
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Why are there so many precautions? The challenge is to prevent the spread of viruses from pets to wildlife at all costs. If the disease becomes established in a species common in temperate regions for a long time, eliminating the disease will become very complicated, if not impossible. If smallpox can be eradicated through mass vaccination, it will only be because the disease spreads only among humans. Mpox is currently only endemic in parts of the continent, meaning contamination can occur at any time. The challenge is that it doesn’t spread further in the long term.
Samples of 34 pets
The current elements available for estimating such probabilities are rather weak. In June 2022, infectious disease experts and virologists at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris studied for the first time a case in which a pair of men transmitted the monkeypox virus to their dog. Tests showed that the virus detected in a sample from one of the patients was identical to the virus from another patient. Skin lesions in animals. But researchers are cautious: “If the dog did carry the virus, it would not have contracted the disease”, Warning ANSES months laterOctober 2022. The report concluded that The dog can at least show “Low-intensity and limited-duration skin transport”meaning the virus may be present in external sores or pustules (not caused by a disease) And does not pollute animals. In August 2022, similar cases were discovered in Brazil.
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