More than 100 cases of the monkeypox virus have been detected across Europe, the Americas and Australia — the largest outbreak outside of Africa in more than 50 years.
Australia has one confirmed and one probable case, one in Victoria and one in NSW, in people who have recently returned from abroad.
Belgium is the first country to introduce a mandatory 21-day quarantine for those infected with the virus, and the US plans to release doses of the smallpox vaccine to stop the spread.
This is happening as Australia also deals with high COVID-19 cases and deaths — 5600 people have died from COVID this year.
With the world opening back up and climate change affecting where diseases thrive, emerging viruses aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Is Australia doing enough to address them?
Is monkeypox cause for alarm?
Monkeypox isn’t as terrifying as it sounds: recent cases have been spread by unprotected sex and the disease is spread only through close contact with lesions, body fluids, large respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. It doesn’t spread via aerosol droplets like COVID and there have been ongoing cases in Central and West Africa with a mortality rate of between 1% and 11% for those who haven’t received a smallpox vaccination.
However, ANU poxvirus and infectious disease expert Professor David Tscharke said why monkeypox has appeared outside Africa is still not known.
“The fundamental question that people are grappling with is, why is that happening now? Has the virus changed in some way? Did the virus just get lucky? Or has human behaviour changed in some way?” he said.
If the virus had mutated, that would be a major concern — but so far there’s no evidence of that, with transmission rates so far occurring as expected.
“Until we know the answers to those questions, it’s a little hard to really get a handle on the risk,” Tscharke said.
The virus is zoonotic, meaning it spreads from animals to humans. If it spreads to a rat or pigeon population in Europe, outbreaks are likely to become more common, and stamping it out isn’t so simple. Although the smallpox vaccine would work against it, it has nasty side effects, Tscharke said, and a modified version would probably need to be developed.
What about COVID?
As Western Australia opens up — the last state to do so — COVID infection rates have reached record highs. Fourth doses of the COVID vaccine are being considered; the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation meets tomorrow to discuss expanding vaccine eligibility to immunocompromised people. Nearly a third of all Australians have not had their booster dose.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would prioritise COVID during the first week of his leadership, directing the Health Department to prepare a briefing. He also hasn’t ruled out a return to restrictions, calling for the need for a “step-up” in Australia’s national strategy that looks at both the number of deaths and the number of people in hospital.
Where is Australia lagging?
States have started opening purpose-built quarantine facilities funded by state governments with some contribution by the Morrison government. Hubs in Victoria and Queensland each have space for 500 people, housing unvaccinated travellers — although just a handful have stayed in them since they’ve opened.
But quarantine facilities aren’t enough, Tscharke said: “Australia’s research infrastructure is really lagging at the moment. We have great expertise, but there’s not much of it and it’s very poorly funded.”
He said as climate change caused viruses to move around, spreading to regions that previously didn’t have temperatures or rainfall levels for them to thrive, and as human populations migrated, there would be an increased emergence of infectious diseases.
The COVID deaths, he said, were particularly worrying — if a terrorist was killing as many Australians as COVID, action could be taken. “We treat disease and infection in a very different way in our society and I think we could do more to be prepared.”
We seem to slipping on Covid too. Vaccination/booster rates dropping. So many people are acting likes it’s all other, while death rates are still high. The herd mentality seems to have all the attention span of sheep – it is a worry.
There’s also an ominous surge in the Flu, with low vaccination rates not helping.
imagining pandemic futures – the preparedness plans should look radically different after COVID and the pandemic exercises will need sophisticated facilitation to assist health and emergency leaders to imagine extreme scenarios for Australia and then follow through with preparedness infrastructure and capability. Viral futurology…..
Sheep pay great, unremitting and focussed attention to the things that matter to them. It’s only people that have lousy attention spans. I would include jellyfish, but there are signs that they are way ahead of us too.
That was meant as a reply to John Hall. See! Didn’t pay attention to the right box.
Bill Gates’ prediction that the world would face an unexpected smallpox outbreak is miraculously unfolding with only a slight ‘monkey’ twist – should we be surpirsed? Monkeypox has been confined to a few cases in Africa since 1958 when first discovered, but now it suddebnly turns up in 10 countries simultaneously! (?)
Does anyone else have this nagging sense that ‘gain of function’ research in US-controlled labs all over the world (expect in the US) has had something to do with this sudden surge in contagions?
I’m old and already had my smallpox vax decades ago, but the problem with using a smallpox vaccine on the young who are already immunocompromised by recent events is that they may not respond too well to another round of mandatory vaccines. I’m no anti-vaxxer but I won’t be too excited about my children having a smallpox jab.
I’m worried about the Japanese encephalitis mosquito getting a good life in australia. As I understand the situation the pigs carry the virus – gets bitten by mozzie – bites/feeds on a human and hey presto – humans infected.
I’m one of those humans that require total protection from any mosquito – they all love my skin!
Apparently coming down to aussie from Asia due to climate change.
Re monkey pox -good that quarantine facilties are available. Hope they can get staff?
Flu and boosters- all seniors I meet with have been vaccinated to the current standards (4 covid plus flu).
What about mask wearing? Buildings are now warmer with winter coming. So easy to spread virus through sneezing etc.