Thu, 12 Sep 2024 17:32:40 +1000
Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>
<https://theconversation.com/mpox-outbreak-in-africa-was-neglected-it-could-now-turn-into-the-next-global-pandemic-236893>
"The mpox outbreak in Africa is yet another example of how infectious diseases
perceived to be “someone else’s problem”, and affecting mainly poor, developing
countries, may suddenly pose unexpected global threats.
Other examples of neglected diseases include the West Nile, Zika and
Chikungunya viruses.
Mpox was discovered in 1958 (in captive monkeys, hence the original misnomer
“monkeypox”) and the first human case was identified in 1970. Then for decades
it was largely neglected by the scientific and public health communities,
regarded as an uncommon infection in remote rural areas in tropical Africa
without relevance for the rest of the world.
When a massive mpox outbreak hit developed countries in 2022, increased
research funding led to a surge in scientific studies. On just one medical
search engine, there’s been more research produced since April 2022 than in the
preceding 60 years.
The 2022-23 global mpox outbreak happened despite repeated calls from African
researchers for increased global investment in diagnostic, therapeutic and
infection prevention tools for mpox.
The WHO has now declared the current upsurge of mpox in central Africa a public
health emergency of international concern.
This is the highest alert level for events that constitute a public health risk
to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.
We are infectious disease researchers who have worked on HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and
other viral infections.
Mpox’s recent history is yet another reminder that an infectious disease in one
corner of the world should not be regarded as someone else’s problem, as it can
suddenly start to spread fast and far.
It also highlights global inequities in resource allocation and access to
vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. These were made available in many
industrialised countries and helped curb the global outbreak, but are still
largely lacking in most of Africa."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
"The mpox outbreak in Africa is yet another example of how infectious diseases
perceived to be “someone else’s problem”, and affecting mainly poor, developing
countries, may suddenly pose unexpected global threats.
Other examples of neglected diseases include the West Nile, Zika and
Chikungunya viruses.
Mpox was discovered in 1958 (in captive monkeys, hence the original misnomer
“monkeypox”) and the first human case was identified in 1970. Then for decades
it was largely neglected by the scientific and public health communities,
regarded as an uncommon infection in remote rural areas in tropical Africa
without relevance for the rest of the world.
When a massive mpox outbreak hit developed countries in 2022, increased
research funding led to a surge in scientific studies. On just one medical
search engine, there’s been more research produced since April 2022 than in the
preceding 60 years.
The 2022-23 global mpox outbreak happened despite repeated calls from African
researchers for increased global investment in diagnostic, therapeutic and
infection prevention tools for mpox.
The WHO has now declared the current upsurge of mpox in central Africa a public
health emergency of international concern.
This is the highest alert level for events that constitute a public health risk
to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.
We are infectious disease researchers who have worked on HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and
other viral infections.
Mpox’s recent history is yet another reminder that an infectious disease in one
corner of the world should not be regarded as someone else’s problem, as it can
suddenly start to spread fast and far.
It also highlights global inequities in resource allocation and access to
vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. These were made available in many
industrialised countries and helped curb the global outbreak, but are still
largely lacking in most of Africa."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
