Monkeys are not responsible for the monkeypox outbreak that has triggered health warnings, including a national emergency in the United States, as the viral disease continued to spread, the World Health Organization said this week after reports of attacks on the animals in Brazil.
According to the G1 news site in that country, at least 10 monkeys were rescued last week in São José do Rio Preto in the Brazilian state of São Paulo after authorities found signs that they had been attacked or poisoned over fears of monkey pox transmission. Seven of the monkeys died later.
Police in São Paulo are investigating those cases and said the mistreatment of animals is punishable by three months to a year in prison.
Despite the name, the risk of monkeypox transmission during this outbreak is focused on humans, not animals, Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the WHO, said at a news conference on Tuesday.
“What people need to know very clearly is the transmission that we see happening between people and people,” she said. “It’s close-contact transmission. The concern should be about where it is transmitted in the human population and what people can do to protect themselves from getting and passing it on. They are certainly not allowed to attack animals.”
The statement was prompted by a question at the Geneva press conference about the recent monkey attacks in Brazil.
The virus was named after it originally found in a group of laboratory monkeys in Denmark in 1958, but rodents are considered the primary animal hosts for the virus, Ms Harris said.
Some scientists and public health officials have called for a new name for the disease, citing racist undertones and stigma, but no official change has been announced. They say the current name could have “potentially devastating and stigmatizing effects” or mistakenly link the virus only to the African continent, when it is now an international crisis.
The WHO is in ongoing talks about what the correct name for the virus should be, Ms Harris said. She said an announcement would be coming soon.
“Any stigmatization of an infected person will increase transmission,” Ms Harris said. “Because if people are afraid of identifying themselves as infected, then they won’t get care and they won’t take precautions and we’ll see more transmission.”
The monkeypox virus is mainly found in central and western Africa, especially in areas close to tropical rainforests – and touweeds, tree squirrels, Gambian possums and dormice have all been identified as potential carriers.
People who get sick often experience fever, headache, back and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion. A rash that looks like pimples or blisters is also common. Transmission occurs with close physical contact and usually spreads as soon as symptoms appear, about six to 13 days after exposure. Most cases this year were in young men, many of whom self-identify as having sex with men.
The United States declared a national emergency this month over the monkeypox outbreak, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases across the country according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The WHO activated the highest alert level for monkeypox in July, with the number of international confirmed cases so far rising to more than 31,000.
Two vaccines originally developed for smallpox can help prevent monkeypox infections, with Jynneos being considered the safer choice. However, supplies in the United States are limited. People can be vaccinated after exposure to the virus to prevent the development of the disease.
Juliana Barbara contributed translation.
