The current circulating monkeypox virus is mutating at an accelerated, unprecedented rate, according to a journal report.
Although monkeypox was classified as a rare disease that usually strikes only in developing countries, mostly in Africa, its sudden surge on the world front has health officials scrambling. More than 3,500 cases have been reported so far, worldwide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
According to Newsweek, the latest study shows “50 genetic variations in the viruses … compared to ones from 2018 and 2019. This, they said, ‘is far more than one would expect considering previous estimates" of the mutation rate of orthopoxviruses of which monkeypox is a type — between six and 12 times more’” … and “These significant genetic variations might suggest ‘accelerated evolution.’”
SOURCE:
Newsweek June 24, 2022