Chinese Bio:
Cowpox has been safely sealed for emergencies
News from our newspaper (Reporter Yuan Lu) On the evening of May 22, China Biotechnology stated on its official WeChat account that, as the national team of my country's biomedicine, Sinopharm Group China Biotechnology has sealed up vaccinia after eliminating smallpox.
A rare disease known as monkeypox is spreading globally from Europe and the United States, which has drawn attention to a smallpox vaccine.
As of May 21, 12 non-monkeypox-endemic countries had reported 92 confirmed and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox to WHO, and as surveillance expands, more global outbreaks are expected, according to the World Health Organization. Multiple monkeypox cases.
Health authorities in many countries are calling on people to seek medical attention promptly after they develop symptoms.
China Bio said that monkeypox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which can be shared by humans and animals.
The virus, a close relative of the smallpox virus, usually circulates in monkeys in Central and West Africa, but occasionally in humans.
The monkeypox virus was first identified in laboratory monkeys in 1958, and the first human case of monkeypox infection was detected in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox infection?
It is reported that monkeypox virus can be transmitted from animals to humans through close contact. Although human-to-human transmission is not easy, it may also be infected by close contact with patients.
The incubation period (time from exposure to onset) of monkeypox infection in humans ranges from 5 to 21 days.
The initial symptoms of monkeypox infection in humans include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes, which can later develop into a widespread rash on the face and body.
Most patients recover within weeks, but others develop severe symptoms and even die.
How to prevent monkeypox?
China Biology said that because monkeypox virus and smallpox virus belong to the same virus family, the vaccine against smallpox virus also has protective effect on monkeypox virus, and the effect of vaccination against monkeypox is about 85%.
"Currently, monkeypox treatments have not been proven safe, but smallpox vaccines, antiviral drugs, and vaccinia immune globulin can be used to control monkeypox outbreaks."
Smallpox was eliminated by humans in 1977, and China eliminated smallpox 16 years earlier than the world.
Smallpox virus has been eliminated, is there still cowpox?
China Biotechnology stated that, as the national team of my country's biomedicine, it has sealed up vaccinia after the eradication of smallpox.
Through the efforts of several generations of scientific researchers, my country has not seen a case of smallpox since the early 1960s, and vaccination work continued until the end of the early 1980s.
"Although the virus has been eliminated, the cowpox, which is a meritorious deed, has been safely stored for emergencies. If there is a battle, it will be recalled and the battle will be won!" China Bio said.
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Belgium introduces 21-day quarantine policy for those diagnosed with monkeypox
The Belgian health agency recently issued a policy requiring monkeypox-infected patients to be quarantined for 21 days; close contacts do not need to be quarantined, but their health conditions must be closely monitored.
The Belgian "Free Press" reported on the 22nd that in view of the long incubation period of monkeypox, the Health and Sanitation Bureau decided to introduce the above policy after consultation with the risk assessment organization.
According to the "Free Press", if someone has a suspicious rash on their body, they should go to the emergency department as soon as possible.
Suspected and confirmed cases should avoid close contact with others.
According to multiple media reports, Belgium confirmed the fourth case of monkeypox on the 22nd.
The Belgian health minister said on the 20th that at this stage monkeypox only poses a "low risk" to the general public.
According to data from the World Health Organization on the 21st, since the 13th of this month, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases have been reported in 12 countries where the monkeypox virus is not endemic in the three regional offices of the WHO, and no deaths have been reported so far.
Confirmed and suspected cases are mainly from the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal, while the rest are distributed in Belgium, Canada and the United States.
WHO predicts that global monkeypox cases may increase further.
David Chalk, a professor at the Australian National University, believes this time is a little unusual because most monkeypox cases are not linked, meaning vigilance is needed around the world.
But unlike Covid-19, more knowledge about poxviruses allows quick steps to be taken to interrupt transmission.
Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease scientist at the Australian National University, points out that the smallpox vaccine can provide cross-protection, but it is uncertain how immune people who received the smallpox vaccine decades ago would still be against monkeypox.
Some antiviral drugs are available to treat monkeypox.
(Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency)