2 minute read
previous studies have found that primates with monkeypox, and rabbits with rabbitpox, fared better after treatment with tecovirimat: the animals who got the drug had a lower viral load, fewer lesions and a higher survival rate than the animals who didn’t. but the drug has never been tested on humans before, outside of a few very smallscale studies, because there was simply no one to test it on in the western world. (it’s worth noting, though, that monkeypox cases have been spreading for decades in central and west africa.) in 2018, when the animals studies were underway, researchers decided it would be unethical to infect people with any orthopox virus
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now, though, monkeypox has been declared a global health emergency . rates are climbing worldwide: there are more than 46,000 cases worldwide , with about 1,200 in canada. the virus is not usually deadly, but it can be painful and incredibly unpleasant, causing rashes and lesions on much of the body as well as fever, chills, headaches and joint and muscle pain.
