Monkeypox cases 'will go up'

As more suspected human cases of monkeypox virus were reported in Illinois, state officials said Tuesday they've found only about half of the estimated 130 prairie dogs sold by the Villa Park dealer whose animals may be linked to the nation's first outbreak of the rare African disease.

And the illness, which had been limited to Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, may have turned up in a new state as New Jersey health officials said an 11-year-old boy there apparently has been sickened by the virus. But the youngster, who is recovering at home, is believed to have picked up the disease from a prairie dog while visiting the Midwest, New Jersey officials said.

So far, only five cases of monkeypox virus have been confirmed by lab tests--one in Illinois and four in Wisconsin.

The number of suspected cases in Illinois jumped Tuesday to eight, while Wisconsin has 16 suspected cases and Indiana has 13 more, health officials said. No one has died from the illness, although some have been hospitalized.

Still, as investigators continue tracking the disease, "We expect the numbers will go up," said Llelwyn Grant, a spokesman at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease resembles smallpox but is much less deadly, with studies in Africa showing death rates of 1 percent to 10 percent.

Efforts in Illinois focused Tuesday on tracking down the prairie dogs and giant Gambian rats sold by Phil's Pocket Pets in Villa Park that authorities suspect spread the illness to humans. The rats, native to Africa and known to carry the virus, may have transmitted the disease to prairie dogs at the animal dealer before they were sold, health officials theorize.

State officials have found 63 prairie dogs sold by the business in Illinois and six other states since April 15, but so far can't account for another 67 that may have been sold at swap meets, said Jeff Squib, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

Phil Moberley, a co-owner of the business, told state officials he destroyed 70 other prairie dogs as a precaution, Squibb said.

Investigators are asking the pet owners they've located to report any signs of illness. Owners have turned in seven sick prairie dogs that will be tested for the disease, Squibb said.

"We feel we've made good progress to this point, but we can't be absolutely certain until every animal is accounted for," Squibb said, adding investigators will continue today to try to track down the remaining prairie dogs.

But investigators are encouraged that they have seen no signs that the illness is being transmitted between humans. It appears all those who came down with the illness picked up the disease from an infected animal.

"That's always a good sign," Grant said. "You definitely don't want to see this start jumping from human to human."

Shari Moberley, a co-owner of Phil's Pocket Pets, said customers who had bought exotic animals from them were calling from other states, saying their animals have been seized and destroyed by authorities in those states as a precaution against the disease.

"People are calling me in tears saying animals are being taken and killed," she said.

Hopefully, the weirdos who bought these "pets" have not released them into the wild.

It's time we get into a really active discussion on this issue, freepers!!!! We have a MAJOR problem. If you need to do additional homework, please go to the site of DISCOVER magazine, and find "monkeypox" in the archive. I did not post, because it is six pages long.

Prepare to be stunned by what you read, what we are not being told, and for how long USAMRID has been aware of possible bioweapon implications. NOTE THE DATE OF THE ARTICLE!!!!!

Want a copy of the magazine? There's one for sale on EBay, although I haven't checked current bid info yet...

Yesterday, I questioned the apathy of the media in looking beneath the surface.... three states....ONE Gambian rat....prairie dogs.....C'mon!!!!! Twenty four hours later we are up to 15 states (almost all of them states where prairie dogs are NOT indigenous), and the cases have almost doubled!!!!

When you read the Discover article, at least you will know that this is a "pox" in mutation. It CAN be aeresolized, and CAN be spread person to person. It CAN be deadly, and is cause for more concern in some labs than Ebola, Marburg, Hanta, etc..... Find out why.

Sorry I can't give you a link, and if someone can add that, I would be most grateful. We need to make this the hot topic it deserves to be, and we have to start tonight, because media and gov. officials need to start the alerts that we should be getting.

There's no need for panic, but we MUST get prepared for the "second plane syndrome." This is NOT a simple case of an illness just appearing for the first time in the Western Hemisphere because of a rat and a prairie dog....and somebody already KNOWS this, because the smallpox vaccine is more deadly than the current outbreak. WHY would they propose using it again?

What you don't believe a GIANT Gambian rat bit a prarie dog, and spread Monkeyvirus to humans via a growing trade in so-called exotic pets through networks that health authorities have found difficult to track down?

And that the infected animals were sold to an Illinois pet shops, pet brokers and pet owners in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.

There is nothing off-beat here...

Do I need to get you a tin-hat? >/>Sarcasm off>

The only thing I DON'T believe right now is that the 1999 Discover magazine copy is NOT available on eBay. Sorry for the misinformation.

Now, if you can still buy the PRAIRIE DOGS through eBay, MAYBE I'll buy the vis a vis "exotic pet" alert theory.... That must be one ENORMOUS Gambian rat. Next thing you know, we'll find it was accidently exposed to radiation which increased its size by a hundred times.....just kidding.

But, I really think this is the verge of VERY major event. I'm waiting for the sort of investigative story that will not be done before the fact. Since such is the case, it's up to freepers to investigate, sound the alarm, and make this issue be exposed for what it REALLY is!

Again, the 1999 edition of Discover magazine features an article on Monkey Pox that is even MORE astounding than the reprinted NewsMax/AP article which appeared a year ago to the day, yesterday (and is available on another thread). By the way, I tried to copy the article to post, and am unable to do so.

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