Please participate in a worldwide orthopoxvirus laboratory survey and share this message with Directors of Laboratories within your networks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is undertaking a survey to learn more about laboratories and personnel around the world who work with orthopoxviruses, including monkeypox virus.
Smallpox killed more than 300 million people in the twentieth century and, following a global effort, was declared eradicated in 1980. While immunity to smallpox is waning worldwide, other orthopoxviruses that can infect humans are reemerging, such as monkeypox, cowpox and vaccinia viruses and other newly identified orthopoxviruses. Laboratory personnel working with orthopoxviruses - for diagnostic, research, or vaccine- manufacturing purposes - can acquire infection and become ill following accidental inoculation.
The purpose of this survey is to map global diagnostic capacity for orthopoxviruses, and to assess whether laboratory personnel have access to specific vaccination or treatment. The survey is for completion by heads of laboratories in research, diagnostics or vaccine development facilities.
This short survey will take about 5 minutes and is available at this link: https://orthopox-survey-uat-who.hub.arcgis.com/ and. At the top of the survey page, select the survey in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian or Arabic. Please click on the submit button at the end of the survey to register your responses.
The survey will be available until 15 November 2021.
Thank you for participating or helping to disseminate this survey !