Monkeypox Cases Detected in Animals Might be Impossible to Control, Scientists Warn

Animals have now been found to be the subject of monkeypox cases. Scientists are concerned that it may be more difficult to stop this spread.

When Stephanie Seifert learned that the first dog to contract monkeypox from a human, she experienced a wave of anxiety.

But Seifert, a viral ecologist at Pumllman's Washington State University, who researches how viruses jump between different species, was also aware of the case's potential importance. She and her coworkers kept an eye out for reports of animals contracting the virus from humans in the months following the spike in monkeypox cases around the world that began in May.

Human-To-Dog Transmission... To Wildlife

In August, the first instance of human-to-dog transmission was documented. The Italian greyhound in France had shared a bed with a couple who were experiencing symptoms, and the dog's viral DNA matched that of one of the owners. The case of a puppy contracting the virus from a person was reported by Brazil's health ministry in the same month.

Malachy Okeke, a virologist at the Yola's American University of Nigeria, claims that Since sick animals can be quarantined at home, the uncommon instance of human-to-dog transmission is not a problem. The circumstance in which the monkeypox virus spreads to wild animals outside of its typical range in Central and West Africa worries scientists more. Such animals include rodents. The virus might then spread from such animal reservoirs back to people. He claims that it would be impossible to eradicate the virus because it would be very difficult to control the spread in populations of wild animals.

Animal carriers

According to information gathered, monkeypox is known to affect more than 50 species of mammals. According to what is known so far, the virus is spread throughout the continent of Africa by rodents and other small mammals. People have been experiencing monkeypox outbreaks in various parts of Africa for the past decades.

In comparison to earlier outbreaks, a lot more people have become infected in recent months, increasing the likelihood that the virus will interact with animals. Over 3,400 new cases of the disease were confirmed last week, according to data from the World Health Organization, which shows that the count of weekly reported cases peaked at nearly 7,500 in August.

Huaiping Zhu, director of the Canadian Centre for Disease Modelling at Toronto's York University, says that when human-to-animal and animal-to-human spread is taken into account, the transmission process becomes significantly more complicated. Zhu is also the lead author of the study. He claims that without insight into how animals alter the dynamics of transmission, researchers will find it difficult to stop the virus's spread and stop further outbreaks.

Virus surveillance

According to Okeke, a lack of active, ongoing surveillance for the monkeypox virus and cases in the wild, and a lack of interest are both contributing factors to why scientists don't know the virus' reservoir. Because this virus is widespread in the so-called resource-poor nations, he continued, people weren't taking it seriously, Nature reports.