The etiological agent that causes monkeypox disease is a virus that belongs to the same genus as human smallpox, although it has a different genomic map. “Monkeypox virus belongs to a genus (Orthopoxvirus of the family Poxviridae) that also includes the viruses that cause human smallpox (variola), cowpox, and a type of virus used as a vaccine for human smallpox (vaccinia )”, explains the doctor in Biological Chemistry, Silvina Goenaga, professor of the Master in Control and Prevention of Zoonoses at UNNOBA.
“It is a virus made up of a double strand of DNA, wrapped in a glycolipid envelope. Although the variola virus and the simian virus belong to the same viral genus, they are different entities and have different host ranges, that is, they can make different animals sick”, summarizes Goenaga.
It also clarifies that the monkeypox virus is a zoonosis, this means that it is a virus that can make animals and humans sick, with well-differentiated strains: “There are two genetically different strains of the monkeypox virus: the basin strain from the Congo (Central Africa) and the West African strain. Human infections with the West African strain appear to cause less severe disease, compared to the Congo Basin strain.”
Goenaga, professor of the Ecology and Genetics of Diseases Transmitted by Vectors, explains why this virus has the peculiarity of person-to-person transmission: “The monkeypox virus is traditionally transmitted mainly by direct or indirect contact with blood and body fluids, by lesions of the skin or mucous membranes of infected animals.
However, person-to-person transmission does exist, which can occur through close contact with infected respiratory secretions or skin lesions, bodily fluids of an infected person, or with objects recently contaminated with patient fluids or healthcare materials. injury. Transmission occurs mainly by respiratory droplets.
Regarding the origin of the disease in humans, Goenaga maintains: “It will be the epidemiological analysis that will be able to determine the origin of the transmission of the current outbreak of the virus. This is still under study by the scientific communities.”
A new smallpox vaccination?
In the past, the smallpox vaccine was 85% effective in preventing monkeypox. However, the vaccine is no longer accessible to the public, as its production was discontinued after the global eradication of the disease in 1980. For those who are vaccinated, can prior smallpox vaccination contribute to the slower progression of the disease? lighter?
And for those who are not vaccinated?
According to Goenaga, the smallpox vaccine could be the prevention weapon for a disease such as monkeypox: “Vaccination against smallpox has been shown to help prevent or attenuate monkeypox disease, with an efficacy of 85%. %. However, those who are not vaccinated, under 40 to 50 years of age, depending on the country, may be more susceptible to monkeypox due to the cessation of smallpox vaccination campaigns around the world following the eradication of monkeypox. illness”.
This effectiveness is due to the proteins that both viruses, which are closely related, have in common. Therefore, the old vaccine can help the immune system to be able to protect itself.
On this, however, there are controversies between the health agencies of the most affected countries. While for the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (EDDC) “there is a lack of efficacy data for this vaccine against monkeypox in humans” and it has ruled out vaccination because it considers that the risk of this virus is low, the The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has recommended the vaccine for healthcare personnel so that they may be exposed to patients with the monkeypox virus. In addition, he has requested that
also inoculate those who work on disinfection tasks and laboratory personnel who work with the virus. On the other hand, he proposed carrying out what is known as “ring vaccination”, a practice that consists in that, in case of close contact with a positive patient who is not vaccinated, the possibility of being vaccinated should be offered as soon as possible.
SOURCE: THE UNIVERSITY
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