Experts warn that monkeypox mutates 12 times more than expected

The strain of monkeypox virus that has emerged worldwide in recent weeks can evolve at an abnormally rapid rate, making it more contagious than previous versions of the virus.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that the virus has multiplied at up to 12 times the estimated rate since 2018.

This means that the virus, commonly believed to spread through physical contact, contaminated surfaces, or very close physical contact, can spread in ways that differ from normal tropical virus patterns.

It will announce the latest global update on monkeypox, with 201 cases detected in 25 US states and Washington DC, and more than 3,500 cases detected worldwide in countries where the virus is not endemic.

The researchers found that the current strain of monkeypox virus, which causes global epidemics of tropical virus, mutates 12 times faster than expected. This potentially makes it more portable

Awaiting official release in the wild, the researchers collected and analyzed 15 samples of the monkeypox virus for the study.

The NIH team reconstructed the virus’s genetic information to find the number of changes the virus has undergone since the emergence of this strain.

Although the virus was only recently discovered in human populations, experts believe this West African monkeypox strain began its worldwide movement in 2018.

How viruses mutate and move around is a well-known science. DNA viruses such as monkeypox generally do not mutate as quickly as COVID-19 does.

The nature of the virus allows it to correct errors that occur when it replicates, leaving much less room for mutations to occur and effectively limiting the number of variants.

When the researchers looked at this strain of the virus, they found that it mutated six to 12 times the rate commonly believed for the virus.

The exact cause cannot be determined, but experts believe it may play a role in how the virus managed to take the world by storm this year.

Cases of monkeypox have emerged in recent weeks in nearly 50 countries where it is not endemic.

While non-endemic countries do find occasional cases – two of which were discovered in the United States in 2021 – infections are generally easy to find and outbreaks can be tracked by health officials once they circulate.

This epidemic was different, however, with large numbers of cases quickly being detected worldwide. This may indicate that a more contagious version of the virus is on its way.

201 cases in the United States this year are considered a severe underreport as some experts warn that the country lacks the testing and monitoring capabilities needed to keep up with every new case.

The worldwide version of the monkeypox is the West African variety, but it mutates at a rate you wouldn’t expect from a DNA virus (archive photo)

Some even fear that the virus will become endemic in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries around the world.

Most of the infections identified as part of the current epidemic involve gay and bisexual men in both the United States and Europe.

California, America’s most populous state, has recorded 51 infections so far, the highest number among any other state. New York and Illinois recorded 35 and 26 respectively.

With the way the virus is spreading through sex networks, some fear Pride celebrations in America could lead to a spike in cases this past weekend.

In preparation, New York City health officials began distributing monkeypox vaccines among the city’s population last week.

But the supply of shots quickly depleted as get-in appointments were cut on Friday due to high demand.

Given that it takes about four days for the Jab to become fully active, there are doubts that filming came too late to be important ahead of the city’s Pride Parade, attended by nearly two million people.