
CDC scientists pursue deadly monkeypox virus in Africa - artsandsci
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/health-science/monkeypox/
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etrevino
The American Council on Science and Health suggests that we don't worry too
much: [https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/07/dont-freak-out-about-
mo...](https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/07/dont-freak-out-about-
monkeypox-12099)

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nerdponx
Not to be morbid, but what is the actual cause of death when this kills you? I
wonder if it is difficult sometimes for the public to understand the danger
behind a disease because it's difficult for them to bridge the gap between
"this is really unpleasant" and "this will kill me".

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QAPereo
Pox diseases seem to kill more or less alike, and here is what's known about
Smallpox:

 _In fatal cases of ordinary smallpox, death usually occurs between the tenth
and sixteenth days of the illness. The cause of death from smallpox is not
clear, but the infection is now known to involve multiple organs. Circulating
immune complexes, overwhelming viremia, or an uncontrolled immune response may
be contributing factors.[20] In early hemorrhagic smallpox, death occurs
suddenly about six days after the fever develops. Cause of death in
hemorrhagic cases involved heart failure, sometimes accompanied by pulmonary
edema. In late hemorrhagic cases, high and sustained viremia, severe platelet
loss and poor immune response were often cited as causes of death.[24] In flat
smallpox modes of death are similar to those in burns, with loss of fluid,
protein and electrolytes beyond the capacity of the body to replace or
acquire, and fulminating sepsis.[48]_

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallpox)

In particular this caught my attention, _...overwhelming viremia, or an
uncontrolled immune response may be contributing factors..._ What that
probably means is at some point the virus amplifies freely in infected
tissues, and may precipitate an extreme feedback loop such as a cytokine
storm. That would certainly explain the rapid fatalities suffered by the
hemorrhagic form.

That mode of death, extreme viral reproduction and immune cascade leading to
death is also seen in Hemorrhagic Fevers, and other classically devastating
infections.

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danellis
I usually detest sites that hijack scrolling, but this article does it quite
effectively and usefully.

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jlebrech
I'm surprised the international community hasn't built a few walls/fences to
contain threats like those.

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maxerickson
It's likely transmitted by a small mammal, they aren't sure which one.

It's pretty hard to build a rat proof fence, especially across hundreds or
thousands of miles, and it is an "outbreak" concern more than anything, it
doesn't infect many people:

[https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html](https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html)

The reason they are trying to trace it is that every human infection is an
opportunity for an adapted, transmissible virus to emerge.

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tomkinstinch
While it will certainly be hard to contain, there are historical precedents
for containing disease outbreaks where small mammals are the vectors. A
notable case is the Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, caused by the Machupo virus,
where an outbreak in 1966 was largely extinguished after two weeks by
extensive trapping of the rodent vector[1]. Of course the effectiveness of
trapping depends on many factors, and it is not always feasible. Studies like
the ones being conducted by the CDC are essential for understanding these
diseases and inform strategies on how to contain them.

If you’re interested in reading about the initial cases of various emerging
diseases (or rather, emerging diagnoses), Laurie Garrett‘s book, _The Coming
Plague_ , is a good read.

1\.
[https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/1/3/95-0308_article](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/1/3/95-0308_article)

