Monkeypox shows gap in bioterror readiness

UPI ^ | June 12, 2003 | Steve Mitchell

[FairOpinion]

"the local health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta were not notified until 13 days later." "The concern about the delay in communicating information about the monkeypox cases is they could have been smallpox."

Suppose it had been smallpox. This case highlights that the approach of waiting to give the smallpox vaccine until AFTER smallpox cases are confirmed leaves us vulnerable. By the time the CDC knows and act, many people could be dead and many more infected and it's too late.

[FairOpinion]

ping

[Orlando]

The national media was more concern with HILLARY 'My
husband is a rapist book" and Scott Peterson, that they wasted almost 48 hours in reporting the OUTBREAK fully to the public. This bio attack is spreading like crazy now.

[FairOpinion]

Another article about monkeypox research:

Canadian scientists at forefront of monkeypox research

http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030613.wmonkey0613/BNStory/National/

[FairOpinion]

"We are dodging viral bullets due to this trade. "

---

You are right. But I don't think the trade can be stopped at this point, but they do need to institute some safetly measures, like quarantines, or medical checks or something, because we can indeed get some really deadly diseases too, like Ebola and how knows what else is lurking out there.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #2

I think that the authorities are geared for a small number of known deadly biological agents, such as anthrax, small pox, and botulism. When they come across something which is not on the list, their response time could be much slower.

[FairOpinion]

"This bio attack is spreading like crazy now."

I don't know whether this is or is not a bio terror attack, but it certainly shows how easy it is to start one and how quickly it can spread into many states, just by getting one infected animal into a pet distributorship, which would not be at all difficult for terrorists.

And, as the article points out, it also shows how slow we are to react, by the time we react, hundreds and from them then thousands of people can get infected.

Also, CDC and other public health officials are acting as if it were a great big surprise that they discovered a couple of cases in the US, which showed human to human transmission, when in fact, CDC has documented facts that in the Congo outbreak in 1996-97, 73%, nearly three quarters of the cases were secondary infections, i.e., human to human transmission.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00048673.htm/


And a later, 2nd CDC reports that only 22% of the cases were primary, which means that 78% were secondary, i.e. human to human transmission.

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00050245.htm/

[FairOpinion]

But the problem is that in initial manifestation monkeypox looks just like smallpox, in fact it's indistinguishable, until they run detailed test to identify the virus.

[backhoe]

-Strange new disease outbreaks--

Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical Warfare- Survival Skills, Pt. II

[Marie]

Neither of your links work.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #9

If that is true, it is indeed troubling. I hope they use this "monkeypox" episode as a debugging process. They had better be quick next time.

[FairOpinion]

I have no idea why, but you are right.

Try this:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00050245.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00048673.htm

I hope these will work, because I copied them straight from the URL while looking at the articles.

[aristeides]

They keep saying it's not bioterrorism. And they also seem confident the disease was brought to this country by one or more Gambian rats. Gambia is 90% Moslem. I wonder who chose what rats to ship to this country.

[aristeides]

NY Times story doesn't seem to add much: Patient May Have Transmitted Monkeypox, Official Says.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Re: your comment about the compulsion to own exotic pets may be moot.

See this quote from CDC article June 12, 2003:

"The types of animals that may become ill with monkeypox are currently unknown. Until more information is available, it is prudent to assumed that any mammal, including common household pets (e.g., dogs, cats) and “pocket pets” (e.g., hamsters or gerbils), can get monkeypox if exposed to another animal that is infected."

[LurkedLongEnough]

authorities are geared for a small number of known deadly biological agents, such as anthrax, small pox, and botulism

You're right. The CDC was all over the outbreak of tularemia in prairie dogs late last year. As you know, tularemia is one of the top 10 potential biologic weapons agents.

Link: TULAREMIA IN PRAIRIE DOGS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

[tallhappy]

This case highlights that the approach of waiting to give the smallpox vaccine until AFTER smallpox cases are confirmed leaves us vulnerable. By the time the CDC knows and act, many people could be dead and many more infected and it's too late.

Yes.

[Marie]

Much better. Thank you. :-)