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Epidemiology

Uncovering the Peculiar Emergence of Monkeypox: A New Study on the Origins and Control of Mpox

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A new study published in the journal Vaccines sheds light on the origins and spread of monkeypox, a zoonosis with African roots. According to the study, the first epidemiological accounts of mpox date back to the early 1980s, yet it only emerged as a pandemic threat in 2022-2023. Researchers at the Pasteur Institute used mathematical modeling to illustrate the dynamics of mpox herd immunity in small communities and propose strategies for controlling the spread of the virus.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study highlights the peculiar emergence of mpox, which was first introduced in small rural communities in touch with the animal reservoir and then spread globally due to its relationship with smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980.
  • Mathematical modeling suggests that the search for the mpox animal reservoir would be most fruitful in communities with high mpox seroprevalence and small outbreaks.
  • The study proposes vaccinating individuals in communities in touch with the natural reservoir to severely reduce the importation of cases elsewhere.
  • The Peculiar Emergence of Mpox (Monkeypox): Directions for the Search for the Natural Reservoir and Vaccination Strategies was published in Vaccines, a peer-reviewed journal published by MDPI AG.
  • The study's author, Romulus Breban, is affiliated with the Pasteur Institute, Unite d'Epidemiologie des Maladies Emergentes, in Paris, France.
  • Breban's ORCID information is orcid.org/0000-0002-5821-8139.

Statistics:

  • The first epidemiological accounts of mpox date back to the early 1980s.
  • Mpox emerged as a pandemic threat in 2022-2023, more than 40 years after the first accounts were reported.
  • Mathematical modeling suggests that the search for the mpox animal reservoir would be most fruitful in communities with high mpox seroprevalence and small outbreaks.
  • The study proposes vaccinating individuals in communities in touch with the natural reservoir to severely reduce the importation of cases elsewhere.
  • The study was published in Vaccines, a peer-reviewed journal published by MDPI AG.

Sources:

  • The Peculiar Emergence of Mpox (Monkeypox): Directions for the Search for the Natural Reservoir and Vaccination Strategies, published in Vaccines, 2024, 12(10). (Vaccines - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/vaccines).
  • Pasteur Institute, Unite d'Epidemiologie des Maladies Emergentes, Paris, France.
  • ORCID information for Romulus Breban: orcid.org/0000-0002-5821-8139.

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