WHO Renames Monkeypox Variants, Seeks Replacement Name
To move away from geographic and historical stigmas about the virus infecting many nations, the World Health Organization is asking for naming ideas to replace the term “monkeypox.” In the meantime, it made two immediate changes, renaming two dominant variants to “Clade I” and “Clade II.” Other news reports center around the spotty U.S. vaccine rollout.
The Hill:
WHO Renames Two Monkeypox Variants To Avoid Geographic References
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Saturday that it renamed variants of the virus monkeypox as it looks to counter concerns about the original naming conventions. “Newly identified viruses, related diseases & virus variants are given names to avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional, or ethnic groups, & minimize the negative impact on trade, travel, tourism, or animal welfare,” the WHO said in its announcement. (Mueller, 8/14)
Bloomberg:
Monkeypox Virus: WHO Asks Public To Submit New Name Ideas In Online Portal
The World Health Organization is asking for the public’s help in renaming the monkeypox virus, part of an ongoing effort to discourage harmful misconceptions associated with the current name. “WHO is holding an open consultation for a new disease name for monkeypox. Anyone wishing to propose new names can do so,” the organization said in a statement. (Muller, 8/12)
On the monkeypox vaccine rollout —
The New York Times:
‘Frustration And Stress’: State Officials Fault Rollout Of Monkeypox Vaccine
Roughly 5,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine intended for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., left the national stockpile’s warehouse in Olive Branch, Miss., on July 19. They somehow ended up in Oklahoma. Then Tennessee. Then Mississippi again. Then, finally, Florida. In Idaho, a shipment of 60 vaccine doses disappeared and showed up six days later, refrigerated rather than frozen, as needed. Another 800 doses sent to Minnesota — a significant portion of the state’s total allotment — were unusable because the shipment was lost in transit for longer than the 96-hour “viability window.” (Mandavilli, 8/15)
Fox News:
COVID Sites In NYC Transition To Respond To Monkeypox Virus
New York City will transition some of its COVID-19 vaccination sites for children under the age of 5 next week. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cited a recent decrease in demand for the sites, as well as greater access to coronavirus vaccines. (Musto, 8/12)
CalMatters:
California Monkeypox: Bumpy Response In State With 2nd Highest Number Of Cases
“What we learned from COVID is that speed is everything. When we look at the response of monkeypox later on, we’ll see speed is the main thing we take issue with,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco and member of the state’s scientific advisory committee for monkeypox. (8/14)
Detroit Free Press:
Michigan Monkeypox Cases Quadruple In 3 Weeks. What You Need To Know
Dave Garcia couldn’t get a dose of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine before he left Michigan for vacation at the end of June. Supply was so limited, even people at high risk for contracting the virus weren’t able to get it. The federal government was distributing Jynneos from the Strategic National Stockpile only to states with outbreaks, and Michigan’s first known case wasn’t identified until June 29. (Jordan Shamus and Hall, 8/14)
The story behind Tpoxx —
Stat:
A Monkeypox Drug Was Approved Under The ‘Animal Rule.’ STAT Explains
Take a look at the list of conditions that have treatments available thanks to what’s known as the “Animal Rule” and you’ll see a rogues’ gallery of plagues you hope never see the light of day. There’s smallpox, anthrax, and, well, the actual plague. (Joseph, 8/15)
More on the spread of monkeypox —
Vox:
Why Monkeypox Is A Repeat Of The Data Mistakes Made With Covid-19
The US declared monkeypox a public health emergency this month, but the decision may have come too late. Though states are now required to report cases, and commercial labs have an approved test, a testing bottleneck persists, and cases — which passed 10,000 confirmed cases this week — are likely still being underreported. Any effective public health response to an infectious disease is dependent on having accurate data. If the virus spreads to other populations, such as college dorms — where cases have already been reported — the testing bottleneck could ultimately make it impossible to contain the spread. Reliable demographic information is key to making the right choices for allocating limited tests and vaccines. (Dixon-Luinenburg, 8/14)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
For Monkeypox, San Diego LGBTQ Community Turns To Old Lessons
Four decades after a very different health crisis put a spotlight on the gay community, some San Diegans feel as though they’ve been time-warped back to the 1980s. They’re also calling on the support networks they have built since. “Monkeypox has certainly transported me back to a time where I was scared for my life — not only because of AIDS, but because of the stigmas that came with it,” said Craig Bertrand. (Alvarenga and Wilkens, 8/14)
The Washington Post:
Colleges Warn Students About Monkeypox Risk As Fall Term Approaches
One by one, cases of the painful viral infection popped up this summer at George Washington, Georgetown and American universities. Now these schools in the nation’s capital and others across the country are warning their communities to be on guard against the potential spread of monkeypox in the coming weeks when students return to campus for the fall term. (Anderson, 8/13)
Politico:
Monkeypox May Be Here To Stay
It may be too late to stop monkeypox from circulating in the U.S. permanently. The Biden administration was caught off-guard when the CDC confirmed monkeypox in a Massachusetts man on May 18. It was part of the first major outbreak outside parts of Africa where the virus is endemic, an unusual event that quickly spun into a global health crisis. … Epidemiologists, public health officials and doctors now fear the government cannot eliminate the disease in that community, and they’re warning that they are running out of time to stop the virus from spreading in the U.S. population more broadly. (Mahr, Messerly and Foley, 8/14)
Pediatric Monkeypox Risks Low, Experts Say, Despite A Few Cases
As kids head back to schools and day cares after the summer, worries grow about monkeypox infection risks. But public health experts say the chances of direct contact with someone with skin lesions is currently low in those environments.
Slate:
Monkeypox And Kids: The Risk Is Low.
Of the three ways that monkeypox is capable of spreading, direct contact with viral skin lesions is what’s really driving the outbreak. And “direct contact” does not mean just a fleeting touch. “This virus is in the lesions, and it’s on the surface of lesions. You have to rub the lesion enough on somebody so that enough virus finds a break in their skin, or finds a mucous membrane to cross,” says Susan McLellan, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The best way for the virus to do this, McLellan said, is sex. (Requarth, 8/13)
AP:
Clark County School District Confirms 1st Case Of Monkeypox
Nevada’s largest school district has its first case of monkeypox. The Clark County School District in Las Vegas announced Friday that someone at Palo Verde High School has been diagnosed with monkeypox. District officials did not say whether the person was a student or school staffer. (8/12)
TribLive.com:
UPMC Children’s Hospital Employee Diagnosed With Monkeypox
A UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh employee who works in an outpatient clinic has been diagnosed with monkeypox, officials said Friday. “Precautions to prevent transmission were already in place and were followed, so we believe there is very low risk of exposure,” said Beth Mausteller, a spokeswoman for the UPMC health care system. (Guza, 8/12)
CIDRAP:
Maine Announces Pediatric Case Of Monkeypox
Maine, which has confirmed only four monkeypox cases, today reported a case of the virus in a resident under the age of 18. No further details were released by the Maine Centers for Disease Control. Maine now joins California and Florida as states with pediatric cases. Also, researchers in Spain detail a possible human-to-dog case. (8/12)
Kansas City Star:
Some Kids Under 18 Years Old Are Eligible For Monkeypox Vaccine.
Previously the Jynneos vaccine was only available to those who were 18 years and older. Now the vaccine will be available to kids who are determined to have a higher risk for severe disease. (Phillips, 8/15)
How To Keep Your Pets Safe After Family Dog Found To Have Monkeypox
A recent report from The Lancet said that a French couple who had contracted monkeypox let their 4-year-old Italian greyhound sleep in their bed. Experts warn the disease can spread through petting, cuddling, hugging, licking, sharing sleeping areas, and sharing food.
Newsweek:
Dog With Monkeypox Sparks Questions About Human-To-Animal Transmission
A recent report from The Lancet showed evidence that two patients, both male who lived together, contracted monkeypox and most likely gave the virus to their 4-year-old Italian greyhound. … The report said that 12 days after the onset of symptoms, their dog appeared to have the same scabs and lesions that coincide with monkeypox. Using PCR testing protocol and comparing monkeypox virus DNA sequences from the dog with one of the dog’s owners, it was confirmed that the dog had monkeypox. (Mayer, 8/12)
Click On Detroit:
Monkeypox Can Spread Between People And Pets: Steps To Take If Pet Owner Becomes Sick
If you have monkeypox, you should avoid contact with your pets and wildlife to prevent spreading the virus. It can spread through close contact including, petting, cuddling, hugging, licking, sharing sleeping areas and sharing food. If you can, have a friend or family member who lives in a different home take the pets and care for them until the person with monkeypox recovers. After the person with monkeypox has recovered, you’ll have to disinfect your home before bringing the animals back. (Clarke, 8/10)
BuzzFeed News:
Here’s What To Know About Monkeypox Risk For Dogs (Or Cats)
It’s unclear if the dog has since recovered, but the researchers said more study is needed to better understand how this virus might affect pets and what isolation protocols are necessary to keep pets safe from infection altogether. Dogs and cats can contract other orthopoxviruses, too, such as the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox/monkeypox vaccines, but this isn’t a concern at the moment. It’s unknown if less conventional pets like gerbils, guinea pigs, and hamsters can become infected with the virus. The CDC says domestic adult rabbits can “possibly” be infected, as well as mice and rats. Chinchillas and hedgehogs, other less popular pets, can catch monkeypox. (Camero, 8/12)
Also —
San Francisco Chronicle:
Exotic Pets First Brought Monkeypox To The U.S., And 19 Years Later, We Still Barely Regulate Them
Nineteen years ago, a 3-year-old from Wisconsin, Schyan Kautzer, was hospitalized; her small body was covered with a strange rash. Underneath a mop of red hair, her face was warm with a 103-degree fever. A photo from the time shows the girl, wearing a pink Winnie the Pooh shirt, next to her mother, Tammy, who cradles a small pet prairie dog, a gift from Mother’s Day. Barely noticeable is the tiny scab on the child’s index finger where the prairie dog had bitten her. The cause of her sickness? Monkeypox. (Linder, 8/15)
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Pasta is merely a dumpling stretched thin. It is Flat Stanley. And because it’s stretched it has vastly more surface area than a dumpling of equal volume which makes it far more marriageable to sauce. The Salmonberry takes full advantage of this. Their housemade Bucatini – hollow spaghetti – is ideal. Made only from semolina flour and water (and incorporating a bit of dulse, locally grown seaweed), it is pliable and to the tooth, al dente, a quality difficult to achieve with fresh pasta. It’s served with clam sauce based on butter (which they make themselves from heavy cream), wine, lemon and tubby Willapa Bay butter clams. Garlanded with sea-purslane (a plant that grows on beaches just above the high tide mark with a puckery taste), it was more delicious than you thought the laws of physics allowed.
No less wonderful was their housemade Mafaldine – a pasta like a wide fettucine with a ruffled hem – served one night with ragu. The ragu was based on San Marzano tomatoes silkened with heavy cream. Your wife was worshipful. On another night it was married to a sauce of cream, peas, poached garlic, parmesan, and chunks of roasted pork belly. The dish was speckled with deep-fried red quinoa which brought a thrilling crunch to every bite. Only because your pleasure circuit-breakers repeatedly tripped as you ate these dishes were the two of you able to walk away without permanent damage.
A beet salad with buttermilk dressing was a mélange of intensely flavorful baby greens and intensely flavorful cooked beets, all pulsating from the garden. It too profited from the beguiling crunch of deep-fried quinoa. Radish slices were dusted with crushed, roasted hazelnut. Your wife, who kidnaps vegetables from other people’s plates for a living, was joyous.
Rockfish over truffled risotto. Flying squirrels have been known to change direction mid-flight when they detect the smell of truffles. Though the scent of these locally foraged truffles was not as pungent as that from European truffles, it was still enough to make you change your flight path on the spot so you could nab it before your wife. The rockfish was fetchingly bronzed on one side, à point. But the risotto missed. It tasted oddly starchy, mushy. You speculate that it was batch-cooked and sat a bit too long before serving. It’s gratifying to know that truffles are being foraged hereabouts and that some folks are making a livelihood from it. The Salmonberry (not to mention other restaurants such as The Schooner in Netarts) is to be applauded for helping to pump the local food economy.
Dark grain bread is from Wolfmoon. It has an artisanal crumb and a lovely sour note. There’s goat cheese mixed with honey and herbs to spread upon it. Great, though you would have preferred it without the honey, the better to savor the mild cheese.
“There’s nothing more political than food,” said Anthony Bourdain. And so The Salmonberry spells “cocktails” “coctails” to express feminist sentiment. Some might say this is cockamamie. But scoff not, just taste one. Their smoked strawberry margarita slushy which sounds terrible is outstanding. It is far more than a confection. It just works. Likewise great is their Ibis Daiquiri which lets the flavor of the rum, so often obscured, come through. May all coctails be so good.
Zealously committed to local food, farmers, and food makers, The Salmonberry – Hyper Locally Sourced Food is hyper delicious. And that is not hyperbole.
