A correction has been issued for the release disseminated on August
16th. Sten Vermund's full title was corrected to Sten Vermund, MD,
PhD, GVN President and Professor of Yale University, USA. The
complete and corrected release follows.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) declares MPOX a public
health emergency of international concern, the Global Virus Network
(GVN), headquartered at the University of South Florida (USF), USA,
swiftly orchestrated an international response to combat the rising
threat. The GVN's MPOX Action Committee, formed in 2022, is led by
world experts spanning basic research, epidemiology, clinical
research, and vaccines. In the past several weeks, the GVN has
rapidly mobilized essential resources, launched critical
evaluations of diagnostic tools, and provided strategic support to
the most affected regions.
Sten Vermund, MD, PhD, GVN President and
Professor of Yale University, USA, said, "MPOX is a reemerging
disease whose magnitude is rising at an alarming rate among general
populations in Africa. Furthermore, it has shown potential for
sexually associated transmission worldwide. The GVN MPOX Action
Committee is working with the WHO and international partners to
craft an evidence-based response and further research agenda.”
Since last week's announcement that MPOX was reported in
countries never previously identified with cases, the GVN partnered
with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and multiple African
institutions through its members to assess point-of-care (POC)
tests for MPOX, ensuring these diagnostics are accurate,
accessible, and deployable in various environments.
Emma Thomson, PhD, Professor of Infectious
Diseases and Associate Director, Medical Research
Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, UK, a GVN
Center of Excellence, added, "GVN’s coordinated response
exemplifies the power of global collaboration in a public health
crisis. We are proud to be part of a network that is helping to set
priorities and making a real difference in the fight against MPOX.
We look forward to working with the GVN, WHO, and other partners to
mitigate this viral outbreak."
The GVN's MPOX Action Committee is co-led by Rachel
Roper, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at
East Carolina University, USA, who expressed deep concern: "The
MPOX virus appears to be evolving for more efficient human
transmission, which is alarming. With 17,000 reported cases and the
unprecedented spread of MPOX Clade Ib from the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC) to neighboring countries, there is a clear need for
heightened and continuous surveillance. We have vaccines that
mitigate illness and death, but there is an urgent need for
improved vaccines with better safety and efficacy."
Dr. Roper further emphasized the importance of therapeutics,
stating, "We do have antibodies and treatments that offer some
protection, but these viruses have already demonstrated the ability
to rapidly develop resistance. It's critical that we expand the
arsenal of therapeutic agents."
In addition to forming an MPOX Action Committee two years ago
comprised of top experts, GVN's proactive measures include the
deployment of 1,000 newly developed MPOX rapid tests several weeks
ago to its members across Africa for immediate side-by-side
evaluation. The network is also distributing new rapid test
platforms for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays
to strategic locations, aiming to foster the development of
diagnostics that can be efficiently implemented in resource-limited
settings. Further, since 2022, GVN members published more than 70
scientific papers advancing MPOX research.
Laurens Liesenborghs, MD, PhD, an infectious
disease specialist and researcher at the Institute of Tropical
Medicine, Belgium, under the lead of Placide
Mbala-Kingebeni, MD, PhD, Director of the Virology
Division at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB),
Democratic Republic of the Congo, together with others, was the
first to investigate and sequence the newly identified MPOX Clade
Ib variant. Dr. Liesenborghs said, "Our team remains on-site,
dedicated to conducting research, and supporting surveillance and
patient care. Together, we continue to combat this evolving threat
and ensure the health and safety of the affected communities.
Support from the GVN, which we are receiving, and other partners,
is needed to address this public health crisis swiftly." Drs.
Liesenborghs and Mbala-Kingebeni are members of the GVN MPOX Action
Committee.
Maggie L. Bartlett, PhD, Program Director at
GVN and virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, USA, a GVN Center of Excellence, said, “The ongoing
challenges with MPOX underscore the urgent need for comprehensive
global surveillance and targeted response strategies. By closely
collaborating with WHO and other international partners, we ensure
that our efforts are aligned and that our scientific contributions
directly address the pressing challenges on the ground.”
MPOX has been detected in 13 nations this year including
previously unaffected nations such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and
Uganda. In 2024, thus far, The Africa Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (Africa CDC) reports that these countries have
confirmed 2,863 cases and 517 deaths and growing, primarily in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Suspected cases across the
continent have surged past 17,000, a significant increase from
7,146 cases in 2022 and 14,957 cases in 2023. Officials at the
Africa CDC said nearly 70% of cases in Congo are in children
younger than 15, who also accounted for 85% of deaths.
GVN plays a crucial role in facilitating direct communication
between its experts, WHO officials, and other international
partners. Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, Vice
Chairman of the GVN Board of Directors, GVN President Emeritus and
Senior Associate Dean for Research in Global Affairs at University
of South Florida Health’s Morsani College of Medicine, USA,
highlighted the importance of the collaboration: “GVN’s role to
enhance global efforts is critical in identifying research gaps and
facilitating action to fill those gaps. GVN is uniquely prepared to
quickly engage our members and provide expertise and on-the-ground
support to mitigate the growing MPOX threat. We are pleased to
catalyze and facilitate alliances to prepare and protect humankind
from viral threats.”
GVN’s Viral Detection and Control Action Committee will convene
a critical meeting on August 22 at 11 AM EDT | 5 PM CET, with WHO’s
MPOX Task Force lead, Lorenzo Subissi, PhD, who
will provide updates and garner support from GVN experts.
About the Global Virus Network (GVN)The GVN is
essential and critical in the preparedness, defense, and first
research response to emerging, existing, and unidentified viruses
that pose a clear and present threat to public health. Working in
close coordination with established national and international
institutions, the GVN is a coalition comprised of eminent human and
animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in
40+ countries, working collaboratively to train the next
generation, advance knowledge about how to identify and diagnose
pandemic viruses, mitigate and control how such viruses spread and
make us sick, as well as develop drugs, vaccines, and treatments to
combat them. No single institution in the world has expertise in
all viral areas other than the GVN, which brings together the
finest medical virologists to leverage their individual expertise
and coalesce global teams of specialists on the scientific
challenges, issues, and problems posed by pandemic viruses. The GVN
is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information,
please visit www.gvn.org.
For more information or to join GVN’s efforts, please contact Linman Li at Linmanli@gvn.org.