WHO expert says Monkeypox may have been spreading undetected for ‘years’:

An expert from the World Health Organization said Monkeypox may have spread undetected around the world for “several years”.

Dr. Rosamund Lewis, technical director of the tropical disease agency, said briefing studies are ongoing to determine how long it has been transmitted in humans.

But he suggested that the tropical disease may be present in the population for several years after it has passed from animals to humans.

Experts say Monkeypox has been quietly spreading across social and sexual networks for some time, before the super-spread events in two crazy events in Europe triggered the current epidemic.

It’s unclear how long the virus has been circulating undetected in America, but senior advisers suggest it was “possible” but not “to any extent” in the country before the first case was discovered in Massachusetts last month.

At least 26 cases of monkeypox have been reported in less than three weeks in the United States, and Hawaii became the 12th state to detect the virus this weekend.

Most infections are associated with international travel to “warm bed areas,” but in at least one case in the United States it was a patient unrelated to the travel or any other patient.

Globally, the West African-specific virus has emerged in more than two dozen countries, primarily in Europe.

“Maybe there was a transmission that went undetected for a while,” Lewis said last week.

“What we don’t know is how long ago it might have been. Whether it’s weeks, months, or maybe a few years, we don’t know.

“So we don’t really know if it’s too late to understand.”

So far, two types of monkeypox have been observed in the United States, and experts suggest the virus has passed from animals to humans at least twice.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told NBC: “What’s likely to happen is that an endemic infectious disease from Africa enters a social and sexual network and then receives massive aid. Belgium will spread around the world.

“And because it’s transmitted through sexual contact, many of the injuries are mistaken for other STDs, potentially delaying diagnosis.”

It’s unclear how long the virus has only spread to the United States.

But last week, Dr Jennifer McQuiston, who led the Centers for Disease Control and Development (CDC) response, requested a briefing that could be lengthy.

“It’s certainly possible that cases of monkeypox were missed before the first of them was detected in Massachusetts,” he said.

“But it probably wasn’t to a large extent.

“I don’t think monkeypox has spread widely in the United States” [for some time]†

The latest global pandemic has taken the world by surprise, with hundreds of cases discovered in more than two dozen countries outside of West Africa.

Epidemiologists suggest that the current waves, in two eulogies in Spain and Belgium, were driven by unprotected sex, although the virus probably spread to the population some time ago.

Hawaii this weekend became the last US state to detect a suspected case of the virus, claiming it was a person who had traveled to a recently “outbreak” area on Oahu, the archipelago’s third-largest island. . ‘.

They have been hospitalized with symptoms and are being cared for by nurses.

Health leaders have warned that monkeypox, a virus native to parts of Africa and known for rare and unusual rashes, swellings and lesions, could spread to some pets and become endemic to Europe. Undated image of Monkeypox stadiums manifest file released by the UK Health Safety Agency

Chicago also reported the second suspected case of monkeypox this weekend in a person who was “in close contact” with the first case.

Washington DC officials said this weekend the city uncovered a suspected case involving a person who had just returned from Europe.

While they are most likely to have monkeypox patients, all cases will be confirmed by testing at the CDC.

Last month, the former WHO Director-General for Health Security and Environment said the current outbreak can be traced back to a handful of British cases reported in 2018.

Professor David Heymann said in September of that year the two Brits were diagnosed with a tropical disease after returning from Nigeria. A third case was found in an NHS worker who was treating one of the patients.

In December 2019, the fourth of the previous three tested positive for the virus after returning from Nigeria. Three more cases with similar travel history occurred in 2021.

Heymann suggested that the virus spread during this time and then spiraled out of control. Of all the cases, it is believed to be the mildest strain of the West African virus currently spreading.

He told the Guardian: “It may be hypothetical that transmission is increased due to the low level of transmission of the virus when it accidentally enters the population, which is currently increasing transmission.”

But he added that this is just one of many theories that need to be explored before any conclusions can be drawn.