Global Confirmed monkeypox (mpox) Infections
MetaculusAUG 2024
The identification of the fire-footed rope squirrel represents a breakthrough in the understanding of mpox transmission, with nearly all outbreaks of clade 1 mpox in Africa occurring in areas where people commonly eat these squirrels, and tested specimens consistently showing mpox antibodies. Hopefully, this discovery will contribute to efforts to prevent the spread of this virus.
More evidence is needed to definitively establish the fire-footed rope squirrel as a reservoir host, as there must be proof that most of these animals can maintain and shed the virus without getting sick, and other rodent species such as pouched rats have also been implicated in mpox transmission.