The monkeypox epidemic has spread to Europe and the United States, causing public concern. Experts pointed out that due to the characteristics of the virus, monkeypox is not easy to escape the attack of the human immune system, and it is not as easy to cause the vaccine to fail like COVID-19, and scientists have a certain understanding of this virus, so there is no need to panic.
The monkeypox epidemic has spread to European and American countries. Taiwan’s first imported monkeypox case occurred on June 24, attracting attention from all walks of life. The Taiwan Science and Technology Media Center invited relevant experts to hold a press conference this afternoon to analyze the monkeypox virus and the international epidemic.
Zhang Wen, a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, said that the monkeypox virus is about 350 nanometers in size and is a virus with a large gene body and a complex protein structure. Because of this, there are many targets that human antibodies can bind to. It is believed that monkeypox virus It should be difficult for viruses to escape the attack of the body’s immune system.
In addition, Zhang Wen said that the symptoms of monkeypox infection are obvious, and it is relatively easy to detect and block transmission. In addition, the existing smallpox vaccine can also resist monkeypox, which is not like the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) virus. Likewise, a single mutation in the spike protein would render the vaccine ineffective.
Zhang Wen pointed out that a Portuguese study published in the journal “Natural Medicine” showed that although there are mutations in the gene sequence of monkeypox virus, due to the short observation time, it has not been possible to analyze whether the gene sequence mutation will affect the severity or impact of infection. Vaccine effects, etc.
Xu Weili, a distinguished professor at the Institute of Microbiology and Public Health of Zhongxing University, said that since monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970, the number of infected people has continued to increase exponentially, and the age of those diagnosed has been on the rise. In the 1970s, the age of infected people was 4 years old Mainly, it will increase to 21 years old in 2010, and increase to 40 to 50 years old in 2022.
Xu Weili believes that this shows that the monkeypox epidemic may be related to the cessation of smallpox vaccination after 1980. Because children of this age group have not been vaccinated, as their age and social circle grow, the chance of monkeypox transmission will also increase.
Smallpox vaccine is a vaccine that can be used to prevent monkeypox. Xu Weili said that the current third-generation smallpox vaccine has undergone many experiments to weaken the virus to the point where it cannot replicate itself in cells, which is more stable than the first and second generation vaccines; According to research, the incidence of smallpox vaccine is relatively low, ranging from 4% to 21%. As for how long the antibody can be maintained, it remains to be studied.
Xu Weili believes that although monkeypox virus spreads widely and can survive in the environment for 35 weeks, scientists have both knowledge and prevention methods for monkeypox, and the public does not need to panic.
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