The monkeypox outbreak currently springing up in countries around the world appears to originate from a “lab strain”, a source at the European Centers For Disease Control reportedly revealed.
Independent investigator Dr. Benjamin Braddock claimed on Twitter that a source at the ECDC told him that preliminary analysis of the monkeypox found the virus came from a lab and may be related to the U.S’s biological research in Ukraine.
“ECDC source tells me that the preliminary analysis of monkeypox indicates that it is ‘a third lab strain with unknown characteristics’ and that there is chatter about this being somehow related to Moscow’s charges against U.S. biological activities in Ukraine,” Braddock tweeted Saturday.
Additionally, a Russian-Chinese joint task force has reportedly launched an investigation into “where it originated, whether it is detectable in research conducted by the US in Ukraine, Georgia; whether there is a link to biological research conducted by the US on smallpox in Ukraine,” he added.
In the face of the rising monkeypox cases in the U.S. and Europe, the ECDC source reportedly claims the agency is intent on purchasing smallpox vaccines (Imvanex) from biotech company Bavarian Nordic, even though they haven’t been tested on this particular strain of monkeypox.
“Main ECDC focus right now is on buying up as much of BN’s vaccine as possible. ‘They’re buying before they know whether it is even effective against this strain of monkeypox. I wouldn’t be surprised if they skipped testing it’s efficacy altogether,’” Braddock tweeted.
