Monkeypox: A New Threat?
The global vaccination programme against smallpox led to its successful eradication and averted millions of deaths. Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a close relative of the Variola (smallpox) virus. Due to antigenic similarity, smallpox vaccines cross-protect against MPXV. However, over 70% of people livin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7866 |
| _version_ | 1797433467598798848 |
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| author | Dorota Kmiec Frank Kirchhoff |
| author_facet | Dorota Kmiec Frank Kirchhoff |
| author_sort | Dorota Kmiec |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The global vaccination programme against smallpox led to its successful eradication and averted millions of deaths. Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a close relative of the Variola (smallpox) virus. Due to antigenic similarity, smallpox vaccines cross-protect against MPXV. However, over 70% of people living today were never vaccinated against smallpox. Symptoms of monkeypox (MPX) include fever, head- and muscle ache, lymphadenopathy and a characteristic rash that develops into papules, vesicles and pustules which eventually scab over and heal. MPX is less often fatal (case fatality rates range from <1% to up to 11%) than smallpox (up to 30%). MPXV is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, infecting wild animals and causing zoonotic outbreaks. Exotic animal trade and international travel, combined with the increasing susceptibility of the human population due to halted vaccination, facilitated the spread of MPXV to new areas. The ongoing outbreak, with >10,000 cases in >50 countries between May and July 2022, shows that MPXV can significantly spread between people and may thus become a serious threat to public health with global consequences. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about this re-emerging virus, discuss available strategies to limit its spread and pathogenicity and evaluate its risk to the human population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:17:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-868c48d573154b8a9cf7c32d8459112d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:17:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-868c48d573154b8a9cf7c32d8459112d2023-12-01T22:15:55ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-07-012314786610.3390/ijms23147866Monkeypox: A New Threat?Dorota Kmiec0Frank Kirchhoff1Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081 Ulm, GermanyThe global vaccination programme against smallpox led to its successful eradication and averted millions of deaths. Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a close relative of the Variola (smallpox) virus. Due to antigenic similarity, smallpox vaccines cross-protect against MPXV. However, over 70% of people living today were never vaccinated against smallpox. Symptoms of monkeypox (MPX) include fever, head- and muscle ache, lymphadenopathy and a characteristic rash that develops into papules, vesicles and pustules which eventually scab over and heal. MPX is less often fatal (case fatality rates range from <1% to up to 11%) than smallpox (up to 30%). MPXV is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, infecting wild animals and causing zoonotic outbreaks. Exotic animal trade and international travel, combined with the increasing susceptibility of the human population due to halted vaccination, facilitated the spread of MPXV to new areas. The ongoing outbreak, with >10,000 cases in >50 countries between May and July 2022, shows that MPXV can significantly spread between people and may thus become a serious threat to public health with global consequences. Here, we summarize the current knowledge about this re-emerging virus, discuss available strategies to limit its spread and pathogenicity and evaluate its risk to the human population.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7866monkeypoxMPXVzoonosisemerging viruses2022 MPXV outbreak |
| spellingShingle | Dorota Kmiec Frank Kirchhoff Monkeypox: A New Threat? International Journal of Molecular Sciences monkeypox MPXV zoonosis emerging viruses 2022 MPXV outbreak |
| title | Monkeypox: A New Threat? |
| title_full | Monkeypox: A New Threat? |
| title_fullStr | Monkeypox: A New Threat? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monkeypox: A New Threat? |
| title_short | Monkeypox: A New Threat? |
| title_sort | monkeypox a new threat |
| topic | monkeypox MPXV zoonosis emerging viruses 2022 MPXV outbreak |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/14/7866 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dorotakmiec monkeypoxanewthreat AT frankkirchhoff monkeypoxanewthreat |