Smallpox News and Research

RSS

Smallpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the Orthopox virus family. It is one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity, with a mortality rate as high as 30%. In 1967, the World Health Organization embarked upon an intensified vaccination campaign to eliminate smallpox, which culminated in the successful eradication of the disease globally by 1980.

By the mid-1980s, there were only two known repositories of variola virus: the Institute of Virus Preparations in Russia, and the US CDC. The events in the US in September and October 2001 highlighted the risk that the variola virus might be used as an agent of bioterrorism. Governments around the world are taking precautionary measures to be ready to deal with a potential smallpox outbreak.

French study reports growing evidence of sexual activity-linked transmission of monkeypox

In a new study, researchers described patients with monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection.

3 Oct 2022

The management of monkeypox during pregnancy

In a recent correspondence, the authors responded to and clarified some of the contentions discussed in a letter to the editor about their August 2022 article on forecasting the risks of monkeypox in pregnant women.

30 Sep 2022

How effective are live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines?

Researchers opined on the use of live-attenuated whole virus vaccines as COVID-19 vaccines.

26 Sep 2022

Study compares monkeypox PCR testing protocols and efficiency at two U.S. reference labs

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers examined sample collection practices, epidemiological characteristics, and cycle threshold (Ct) values for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests used in two reference laboratories in the United States (U.S.) to detect monkeypox virus (MPXV).

25 Sep 2022

How smallpox and monkeypox viruses affect the nervous system

A recent study provides an overview of existing literature on the complications of infection with both smallpox and monkeypox virus.

25 Sep 2022

An unusual case of Monkeypox virus transmission by needlestick injury

In a recent study published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, researchers described an unusual case of patient-to-healthcare worker (HCW) monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission via a needlestick injury that occured in Brazil.

21 Sep 2022

Virology of the human monkeypox virus

A new review to be posted in the Virus Research journal aims to provide an overview of the recent advances reported concerning hMPXV virology.

21 Sep 2022

The potential global risk of monkeypox importation

Researchers hypothesized various scenarios of travel restrictions to estimate the potential global risk of monkeypox virus (MPXV) importation.

21 Sep 2022

Evidence A.2 lineage of monkeypox is mutating

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, a team of researchers from India analyzed the whole genome sequences of the monkeypox virus isolated from monkeypox patients with and without international travel histories to understand the phylogenetic relations and genomic evolution of the virus that could contribute to higher transmission rates.

21 Sep 2022

Recommendations for the treatment, prevention of monkeypox in nursing mothers

Although none of the preventative or therapeutic agents used in monkeypox have been fully studied in nursing mothers, Philip Anderson, PharmD, from the University of California, San Diego, presents a broad practical recommendation for the treatment and prevention of monkeypox in nursing mothers in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal Breastfeeding Medicine.

20 Sep 2022

Monkeypox infection in a smallpox-vaccinated patient

In a recent study published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, researchers at Madigan Army Medical Center assessed the characteristics of monkeypox infection in a patient vaccinated against smallpox.

20 Sep 2022

Vaccines used to prevent monkeypox

A new review published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases aimed to describe the efficacy of vaccinia virus-based smallpox vaccines against the current monkeypox outbreak.

18 Sep 2022

UCLA announces participation in a phase 3 trial evaluating tecovirimat for the treatment of monkeypox

The UCLA Clinical AIDS Research and Education (CARE) Center today announced its participation in STOMP (Study of Tecovirimat for Human Monkeypox Virus), or A5418, a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of tecovirimat for the treatment of human monkeypox.

16 Sep 2022

UW Medicine researchers seek participants for Phase 3 clinical trial of a drug to treat monkeypox

UW Medicine researchers are recruiting participants for a Phase 3 clinical trial of a drug to treat the monkeypox virus.

16 Sep 2022

Survey highlights increase in the public's knowledge about monkeypox

The public's knowledge about monkeypox has increased rapidly in recent weeks though misconceptions and uncertainty persist, and over a quarter of Americans say they are not likely to get vaccinated against monkeypox if they're exposed to it, according to a new Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) survey.

15 Sep 2022

Concern over two cases of monkeypox-related neurological complications in the U.S.

A new study published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analyzed two people with encephalomyelitis associated with monkeypox disease in Colorado and DC during the current outbreak.

15 Sep 2022

Study highlights the efficacy of MVA-BN booster vaccination in inducing durable B cell memory responses against monkeypox

In a new study, researchers assessed the immunogenicity, safety, and booster-efficacy of the Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccine currently being used for immunization against monkeypox.

14 Sep 2022

The kinetics of T cell response, the inflammatory profile, and the pox-specific T cell induction in monkeypox infection

A new study describes the changes in immune T cell profile over time following monkeypox infection.

14 Sep 2022

Transmission of monkeypox virus atypical and unique in 2022

In a recent study published in the journal Viruses, researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases identified and presented all the relevant research on the monkeypox virus (MPXV) to draw inferences about the 2022 MPXV outbreak.

13 Sep 2022