UK scientists given £2m to tackle global monkeypox outbreak

A newly created research consortium has been given £2 million ($2.2m) to help tackle the global monkeypox outbreak.

The consortium of 25 researchers from 12 institutions will study the virus, look into the effectiveness of the smallpox vaccine that is being used to protect against monkeypox, and develop tests to identify and manage the disease.

“The implications of the current monkeypox outbreak are huge," said Prof Bryan Charleston, co-leader from the Pirbright Institute, which is a member of the consortium.

“As well as tackling the current outbreak, we also need to be fully prepared for the next outbreak, because worldwide there’s a huge reservoir of infection.

“One of the key ways we can do this is to develop rapid tests, which are very important to help clinicians on the front line to manage the disease.”

Led by the institute and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, the consortium will also screen possible drugs and determine which ones could be used for further testing.

The experts will look at identifying animal carriers and possible spill-over routes of transmission between animals and humans.

To see how effective the smallpox vaccine is in preventing or reducing the severity of monkeypox, the researchers will track immune responses after primary and secondary vaccination.

Monkeypox cases identified - in pictures

A man's hands are covered in a rash caused by the monkeypox virus that swept through the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1996 to 1997. Reuters
An image taken during an outbreak of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1996 and 1997 shows the arms and torso of a patient with skin lesions due to monkeypox. Reuters
This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. AP
Images issued by the UK Health Security Agency show the stages of monkeypox. UK Health Security Agency
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed a single case of monkeypox in an adult male who had recently travelled to Canada. EPA
Roman Woelfel, head of the Institute of Microbiology of the German Armed Forces in Munich, gets to work after Germany detected its first case of monkeypox. Reuters

“Monkeypox is a public health challenge, so taking decisive, collective action to better understand this virus is paramount," said Prof Massimo Palmarini, co-leader from the MRC-University of Glasgow centre.

“By bringing together research expertise in different areas, we will harness the UK’s world-leading knowledge to learn more about how the virus works and spreads, and provide the foundations for the development of potential new treatments.”

Monkeypox vaccination - in pictures

Healthcare workers prepare monkeypox vaccines at the Test Positive Aware Network nonprofit clinic in Chicago. Reuters
People line up outside the Test Positive Aware Network nonprofit clinic to receive the monkeypox vaccine in Chicago, Illinois. Reuters
Dr Emily Drwiega from the University of Illinois Health and Maggie Butler, a registered nurse, prepare monkeypox vaccines. Reuters
An employee of the GGD Haaglanden prepares equipment to dispense the monkeypox vaccination at a vaccination location in Rijswijk, in the Netherlands. EPA
A health worker walks inside an isolation ward built as a precautionary measure for monkeypox patients at a civil hospital in Ahmedabad, India. on July 25. AFP
Crowds queue for monkeypox vaccinations at Guys Hospital on July 24 in London. Getty Images
A man receives a vaccination dose against monkeypox in London. Getty Images
A man receives a monkeypox vaccine at an outdoor walk-in clinic in Montreal on Saturday, July 23. AP

There have been more than 3,500 confirmed cases of monkeypox since May, although new case numbers are falling.