LISTEN: Scientist against SA issuing travel ban against countries with monkeypox cases

As cases of monkeypox spread in the United States and Europe, Director of research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Professor Tulio de Oliveira, has told The Citizen that South Africa should not be too concerned.

Monkeypox is normally a very endemic and non-transmissible virus, said De Oliveira.

Several cases of monkeypox have been detected in various parts of Europe, North America, and Australia, including West Africa.

Monkeypox is a virus from the same family as smallpox and was first documented in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the 1970s and primarily came from animal-to-human transmission.

Less dangerous strain

So far, two primary strains of the virus have been identified, the Congo strain and the West African strain.

The recent cases in the UK have all been the West African strain, which De Oliveira said is less dangerous.

“It means that normally when there is an outbreak of monkeypox in that region, they found a ratio of 1% to 2% (mortality rate), whereas in the Central African lineage, they find around 8% (mortality rate).”

De Oliveira said scientists are doing research to understand the transmissibility of the virus.  

“Normally monkeypox, it is very endemic and is not a very transmissible virus. It is the first time that we are seeing multiple countries with infections outside West and Central Africa at the moment. So, the right answer is that the scientists are still trying to understand how transmissible is this new outbreak that’s been detected so far in Europe, America, Canada and Australia.”

What does it look like and how does it spread?

The virus can be identified by a distinctive bumpy rash and the presence of a fever. The early symptoms include swelling of lymph nodes and general flu-like symptoms, such as headaches and a lack of energy.

The incubation period of the disease ranges from five to 21 days and the symptoms usually last between two to four weeks.

While animal-to-human transmission is more common, human-to-human transmission is possible and occurs through contact with bodily fluids, lesions, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said there appeared to be a link between sexual contact and the spread of the virus.

Travel ban

While no cases of monkeypox have been detected in South Africa, De Oliveira said a ‘blanket ban’ by South Africa on countries that have infections could be damaging to the country.

Last year, several countries, including the United States, banned travellers from South Africa due to the prevalence of a new, more infectious Covid-19 variant.

He said a travel ban will affect tourism in South Africa.

“The travel ban is especially damaging to our own economy. What people have to realise is that South Africa is at the end of the African continent and that we depend a lot on international travellers,” De Oliveira said.

Treatment

While there is currently no known treatment for monkeypox, the smallpox vaccine has been shown to be effective in preventing the virus.

In 2019, a newer version of the vaccine was approved for monkeypox, but according to the WHO, it is not widely available.

“These individuals are being isolated and there is relatively good treatment and there is an effective vaccine. They are not giving out blanket vaccinations, but they are what epidemiologists call ring vaccinations where they try to get the contacts of the individuals to be vaccinated,” De Oliveira added.

Professor Oliveira said there have been 108 cases of monkeypox cases confirmed around the world.

Discussion on monkeypox by Professor Tulio de Oliveira

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