WHO Pushes Unified Monkeypox Response; US May Not Share Shots

PoliticoPro: U.S. Undecided About Sharing Monkeypox Vaccines
The U.S. has not decided whether it will answer the World Health Organization’s call to pool monkeypox vaccinations as case numbers continue to rise around the world, a Department of Health and Human Services official told POLITICO. Last week, WHO officials asked countries with stockpiles of monkeypox and smallpox vaccines to distribute to countries based on their need, nodding to a 20-year-old vaccine-sharing agreement designed for a smallpox emergency. (Payne and Mahr, 6/1)

AP: Monkeypox Outbreak Needs A United Response, Says WHO Africa
Africa must be part of a united global fight against monkeypox, the World Health Organization’s Africa office said Thursday, as countries in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere respond to unusual outbreaks of the disease. “We must have one connected global response to monkeypox to avoid it becoming endemic in more countries,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Africa director, said in an online briefing. (Asadu, 6/2)

Reuters: Developing World Should Reap Benefits Of New Monkeypox Research, Experts Urge 
As cases of monkeypox in wealthier Western nations spark a flurry of scientific research to combat the outbreak, scientists are urging the world to make sure lower-income nations benefit from the fruits of that labor as well. ... The biopharmaceutical industry has in recent weeks made commitments deliver vaccines, treatments and develop more diagnostics to address monkeypox as the viral disease spreads in many parts of the developed world. "We do have to recognize that this is not a new disease - this is not something that we just learned existed in the world," said Daniel Bausch, senior director, emerging threats and global health security at FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics. (Grover and Roy, 6/2)

Reuters: Test Makers Target Monkeypox Market As Cases Surge 
Diagnostic companies are racing to develop tests for monkeypox, hoping to tap into a new market as governments ramp up efforts to trace the world's first major outbreak of the viral infection outside of Africa. The scramble started last month, much like early 2020 when companies rushed to make kits to help diagnose COVID-19, creating a multibillion-dollar boon for test makers. (Grover, 6/3)

Cases are spreading in the U.S. —

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Announces First Probable Monkeypox Case
Illinois announced its first probable case of monkeypox on Thursday — one of a small but growing number of cases across the country. The case is in a male Chicagoan who recently traveled to Europe, according to the Chicago and Illinois departments of public health. The person did not require hospitalization and is in good condition, isolating at home. (Schencker and Sheridan, 6/2)

MediaNews: Los Angeles County Reports First Apparent Monkeypox Case
The first case of monkeypox appears to have been detected in Los Angeles County, officials said Thursday morning, June 2. The result is presumptive, pending confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An adult resident recently traveled, and came in contact with, “a known close contact to a case,” according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. The patient is doing fine, officials said, adding that the person is not hospitalized but is isolated from others. (Carter, 6/2)

Fox News: Probable Monkeypox Cases Reported In Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles County
Health officials in multiple U.S. cities – including Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles County – reported probable cases of monkeypox on Thursday. A man in the metro Atlanta area with a history of international travel has a probable monkeypox infection, pending confirmation of the test results by the CDC, Georgia health officials said Thursday. Los Angeles County health officials reported their first case in a patient who recently had close contact with another infected individual while traveling. Three probable cases have previously been detected in Sacramento County. (Best, 6/2)

CIDRAP: Experts Highlight Sexual Aspect Of Monkeypox Spread 
Researchers today at a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting spelled out the sexual transmission component  of a monkeypox outbreak that has affected hundreds of people—mostly men who have sex with men—in at least 27 countries outside of Africa. ... In a presentation made to the WHO by Gianfranco Spiteri, MD, MDH, of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, he detailed the initial cases in Portugal and suggested that close skin-to-skin contact during sexual relations is the primary mode of transmission for these cases. Spiteri explained that the clinical manifestations of a genital rash were the first telltale sign that sexual activity was playing a role in transmission. (Soucheray, 6/2)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Monkeypox Resurfaced In Nigeria After Four Decades. Researchers Still Don’t Know Why
For Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye, the monkeypox outbreak that has spread to dozens of countries around the world has a ring of déjà vu. Five years ago, the epidemiologist at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control was puzzled by the sudden identification of monkeypox in her country after nearly four decades without a case. (Roland, 6/2)

Stat: What To Make Of The Many Mutations On The Monkeypox Genome 
When scientists investigate the spread of an infectious disease, one area they look at is the genetic sequences of the pathogen. But there’s a snag when it comes to the monkeypox virus, which is now causing an unprecedented outbreak of several hundred infections in some 30 countries where it’s not typically seen. DNA viruses, particularly those with relatively big genomes like poxviruses (the family that includes monkeypox), generally accrue mutations much more slowly than, say, an RNA virus like SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19. That means that examining the sequences might be less fruitful in terms of tracking how the virus is spreading from person to person. There are fewer changes to the virus’ genome that might shine a light on transmission chains. (Joseph, 6/2)