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Virologist Marc Van Ranst is out to combat what he sees as two of Belgium's worst afflictions: coronavirus and the Flemish far right
Although many scientists across the world seem daunted that the coronavirus has turned them into a target for skeptics and thrust them into the rough and tumble of politics
Van Ranst is in his element on the public stage
even though this means he has needed police protection since the summer because of threats from the Flemish hard right and anti-vaxxers
he'll get so bored that he'll immediately take on something else," said Elke Wollants
his lab manager at the Catholic University of Leuven's Rega Institute for Medical Research
where Van Ranst heads the department of clinical and epidemiological virology
She has known Van Ranst for 20 years and has been accustomed to dealing with his restlessness
"He has so many ideas that I've learned to wait with executing them until he repeats them three times."
The professor himself makes no apologies for using his platform as one of the best-known faces in Belgium to blast off at the far right in the northern Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, who have been <a href="https://www.knack.be/nieuws/belgie/tom-van-grieken-vb-neemt-vaccinatiebeleid-op-de-korrel-in-nieuwjaarstoespraak" target="_blank">critical</a> about the country's handling of the pandemic
"I'm simply allergic to the extreme-right," he told POLITICO
"Why would an academic be afraid to say that out loud?"
Van Ranst's ubiquity has also triggered controversy, well illustrated by a poll in the cultural magazine <a href="https://www.humo.be/nieuws/de-concurrentie-gedegradeerd-tot-pandemietjes-marc-van-ranst-is-uw-man-van-het-jaar~b1a56b8d/" target="_blank">Humo</a>
While readers chose him as person of the year 2020
he also ended up second in the category "dick of the year," after U.S
Van Ranst already headed three departments at the university in Leuven
he has been a key adviser to the Belgian government on how to handle the coronavirus
building on his previous experience as Belgian flu commissioner and as commissioner for crisis management during the Mexican flu pandemic in 2009
a job he started two weeks after his son was born
That experience proved useful during this pandemic
Belgium's main spokesperson for its COVID-19 crisis center
“The Mexican flu was obviously a pandemic of a different level
but a lot of the issues that had to be tackled were the same.”
Van Ranst and others started to feel responsible for the policy-making," said Maarten Vansteenkiste,&nbsp;a psychologist at the University of Ghent who also advised the government on its coronavirus policies
"This was because of their involvement and sense of responsibility
but even experts sometimes have to detach from the situation
This growing role for experts led to frictions with the government
experts such as Van Ranst called for extreme measures," said one official who was closely involved in the coronavirus approach under Wilmès' government
"Afterwards they always called it too little too late
That inevitably led to a certain frustration between experts and politicians."
A spokesperson for Wilmès denied that tension
"The PM always worked well and in mutual respect with professor Van Ranst," she said
"She personally appointed him as one of the experts who would be working on the exit strategy
convinced of his experience and great expertise."
Since the fall, when Belgium had <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/alexander-de-croo-belgium-new-prime-minister-5-things-to-know/">its first fully functioning government</a> in years
politicians have taken more control over the way to handle the crisis
"This is much more comfortable," said Van Ranst
crisis managers and spokespeople at the same time
Now that the prime minister and the health minister communicate more and get along better
His prominent role in the pandemic has also increased scrutiny of his political views. On Twitter, Van Ranst often <a href="https://twitter.com/vanranstmarc/status/1336689281604218882" target="_blank">lashes out</a> against politicians from the right-wing Flemish nationalist party the N-VA and the far-right Vlaams Belang
calling Flemish nationalists "extreme-right." 
Van Ranst <a href="https://www.humo.be/nieuws/of-conner-rousseau-mij-gevraagd-heeft-om-minister-te-worden-daar-is-over-gepraat-ja~b22bf92d/" target="_blank">argues</a> his political views don't undermine his scientific work as "viruses don't have a political color" and "politics is too important to leave to politicians."
But his comments contrast with other experts such as Van Gucht
who mostly limit their media appearances to talk about the pandemic
Van Gucht acknowledges that his colleague's tweets "create supporters and opponents
which sometimes leads to a certain controversy
But he is always able to separate his scientific work from his opinions on other issues.”
He refers to Van Ranst’s professional relationship with Bart De Wever
the mayor of Antwerp and the party president of the Flemish nationalists
“De Wever sometimes consults with Van Ranst on the pandemic," he said
"Their political views don’t stand in the way of that relationship.”
Van Ranst has been more wary of attacking the N-VA head-on
Wollants is a member of the N-VA herself and knows Francken personally
that has sometimes led to some annoying discussions
but also with the massive media attention."
the party briefly negotiated with Vlaams Belang to form a Flemish coalition
De Wever has since indicated that's no longer an option
The virologist has also cooperated more with politicians from the N-VA
"I'm allergic to the extreme right and that will never change
But the N-VA of 2020 is no longer a Vlaams Belang-light," he said
In addition to the death threats against him, Van Ranst has also <a href="https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/09/28/rechtszaak-van-rudi-de-kerpel-ondernemer-en-n-va-regeringscommi/" target="_blank">been sued</a> by an entrepreneur, who is linked to the Flemish nationalists, for accusations of causing economic damage. Van Ranst <a href="https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20201201_95831787" target="_blank">won</a> the case
Van Ranst often responds with humor to his detractors. When vandals spray-painted a bus stop with the message "Van Ranst, kiss my balls," he <a href="https://twitter.com/vanranstmarc/status/1339711118575607816" target="_blank">turned down</a> the "friendly invitation," citing coronavirus restrictions
"Corona rules are corona rules," he tweeted
A person from the party said there was never a formal offer, but that Rousseau had indeed checked whether&nbsp;Van&nbsp;Ranst&nbsp;would be available in case the socialists would join an emergency government soon after the coronavirus broke out in March. But this never happened. 
Jan Callebaut, a leading Belgian communications expert, said Van Ranst is "clearly charmed by the public recognition and feedback of wider segments of the population." He thinks it's credible to turn that into a political mandate at some point. 
"This is someone who made a clear choice not to disappear into anonymity after the pandemic," said Callebaut. "He makes every effort to keep a broad public relevance, which he could retain without the acuteness of the pandemic."
Wollants agreed. "We're used to not having him around as he combines so many things. He's a total workaholic, always ready to take on something new. Who's not to say he won't become the next rector of our university?"
Van Ranst dismisses the suggestions. "There are few challenges that I won't accept, but I love my job as a professor and the freedom that comes with it." 
He said he will enjoy a lighter pace once the pandemic is over, "and once I'm rested again, I'm sure I'll create another sort of hellish situation for myself."
The European Commission president has pledged to boost the EU’s ability to compete with the U.S. and China.
Some leaders have called on new European Council President António Costa to help rein her in. 
The former Portuguese prime minister faces a difficult job in bridging EU disagreements while France and Germany remain distracted by domestic concerns.
Wopke Hoekstra vows to keep EU climate targets despite Trump and populist pushback, but admits Europe can’t go it alone.
Volume 6 - 2018 | <a class="ArticleLayoutHeader__info__doi" href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00241">https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00241</a>
This article is part of the Research TopicEmerging Infectious and Vector-Borne Diseases: A Global Challenge<a class="Link Link--linkType Link--maincolor Link--medium Link--icon Link--chevronRight Link--right" aria-label="View all 9 articles" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/6181/emerging-infectious-and-vector-borne-diseases-a-global-challenge/magazine" target="_self" data-event="customLink-linkType-a_viewAll9Articles">View all 9 articles</a>
Monkeypox is an emerging zoonotic disease recognized as the most important orthopoxvirus infection in humans in the smallpox post-eradication era
The clinical presentation of monkeypox is similar to the one of smallpox
The case fatality rate of monkeypox (10%) lies between the case fatality rate of variola major (30%) and variola minor (1%)
The disease is endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
but other countries of Central and West Africa either reported cases of monkeypox in humans or circulation in wildlife
The disease was also imported once into the USA
The disease has always been considered rare and self-limiting
however recent sporadic reports suggest otherwise
the objective of this review is to trace all reported human monkeypox outbreaks and relevant epidemiological information
The frequency and geographical spread of human monkeypox cases have increased in recent years
and there are huge gaps in our understanding of the disease&#x00027;s emergence
The monkeypox virus is considered a high threat pathogen causing a disease of public health importance
there is an urgent need to focus on building surveillance capacities which will provide valuable information for designing appropriate prevention
The scientific community is hesitant to the importance of MPX which can be demonstrated by a limited number of research articles in the biomedical literature
The biggest number of articles was published in a year when MPX was reported outside of the African continent for the first time in history
we have seen a similar reluctance to research and control of other pathogens with epidemic potential (Zika and Ebola as recent examples) which were geographically limited to the Southern Hemisphere
badly managed and little described leading to an incomplete picture of the disease&#x00027;s importance
MPX is the next most pathogenic poxvirus disease after smallpox but never received appropriate attention to prevent it to become an epidemic
The next sections attempt to summarize all publicly available literature on human monkeypox cases
The outbreak overview below covers all cases published via official channels (research articles and reviews, books, WHO reports). All reported outbreaks discussed below are summarized in Table <a href="#T1">1</a> and the distribution of confirmed cases per country is shown in Figure <a href="#F1">1</a>
Cases of human monkeypox reported in the World from 1970 till 2018
Countries reporting confirmed monkeypox cases in humans (A) between August 1970 and May 2018 (574 months)
(B) between January 2017 and May 2018 (17 months)
Only data from official sources were included
The lack of data granularity for some outbreaks does not allow displaying exact geographical outbreak locations
*Estimated cases based on available data on monkeypox confirmed cases from the DRC since 2005
Although the number of yearly reported cases in different countries varies among sources, the total number of confirmed MPX cases reported per country from 1970 till the end of 1986 is the same, resulting in 404 cases (<a href="#B30">30</a>, <a href="#B64">64</a>). Some sources report 404 cases during the WHO surveillance period (1981&#x02013;1986) alone, but without (<a href="#B6">6</a>, <a href="#B28">28</a>) or with an incorrect reference (<a href="#B24">24</a>)
The number of reported cases dramatically decreased after the intensified surveillance was discontinued. Outbreaks were reported from Gabon in 1987 [44] and the DRC (called Zaire at the time) between 1987 and 1992. However, the numbers of reported cases differ between sources and the year of the outbreak in the DRC is not clear (<a href="#B28">28</a>, <a href="#B29">29</a>, <a href="#B40">40</a>, <a href="#B48">48</a>)
Four cases of suspected monkeypox (1 confirmed case) were reported from Cameroon in 1990 [38
making them the third ever described monkeypox outbreak in Cameroon
No new suspected cases were reported until 2001 when, from February till August 2001, 31 patients in 7 separate disease clusters (outbreaks) were suspected in the Equateur province of the DRC. Specimens from 14 patients were tested out of which 6 were positive for MPXV, 5 for VZV, 1 positive for both viruses and 2 for none. There were 5 deaths reported of which 4 were confirmed to be caused by MPX (<a href="#B8">8</a>)
Four cases of human monkeypox were reported from CAR, Mbomou region in 2001 (<a href="#B19">19</a>, <a href="#B72">72</a>)
In June of the same year (2010), two cases of MPX were confirmed in the CAR. The disease developed after hunting and eating a wild rodent (bemba). The isolated strain was identical to the one associated with an outbreak in 2001 on the border between the CAR and the DRC (<a href="#B36">36</a>)
To what extent the above three data sources overlap cannot be determined
In 2014, a MPX outbreak was reported in Sierra Leone (Bo City) after more than 40 years. Only one case was lab confirmed (<a href="#B40">40</a>, <a href="#B47">47</a>) and the total number of infected people is not known
From December 2015 till February 2016, at least 12 people (out of which 3 died) got infected with MPXV in Bangassou, Mbomou province, the CAR. The disease was confirmed by the laboratory of the Ministry of Health (<a href="#B37">37</a>, <a href="#B72">72</a>, <a href="#B83">83</a>). Journal de Bangui (<a href="#B72">72</a>) stated in the report announcing this outbreak that there was recently a mokeypox outbreak 2014 in Haute Kotto zone
There is no further information to support this so the validity cannot be confirmed
CAR (Basse-Kotto and Haute-Kotto provinces) experienced at least 26 more suspected cases (of which at least 3 were confirmed) as of August 2016 (<a href="#B38">38</a>, <a href="#B84">84</a>)
Monkeypox occurs in African countries which often have weak surveillance and public health infrastructure making the prevention and response difficult
One isolated case of monkepox was confirmed in Sierra Leone (Pujehan District) in March 2017. Thirteen close contacts were followed up and none of them have developed any febrile illness and/or skin lesions in the first 21 days since the last exposure (<a href="#B90">90</a>)
This outbreak is the largest documented outbreak of human monkeypox in West Africa
Sixteen cases of monkeypox, including 2 confirmed cases were reported in Liberia between November and December 2017, after more than 40 years from the last (and the first) reported occurrence. The cases were reported from Grand Cape Mount (4), Rivercress (11), and Maryland (1). Two deaths were recorded (CFR 12,5%) (<a href="#B93">93</a>)
Between week 1 and 24 of 2018, there have been 2845 suspected cases of monkeypox in 14 provinces of the DRC, including 36 deaths (CFR 1.3%). Of the suspected cases, 34 have been confirmed samples (<a href="#B34">34</a>). Sankuru Province has had an exceptionally high number of cases between week 1 and 14 of this year (106 cases) compared to the same time period last year (44 cases) (<a href="#B94">94</a>)
Between 17 March and 24 April 2018, 20 cases of monkeypox were reported in CAR, including 9 cases confirmed by the laboratory (6 cases from Ippy, 3 cases from Bangassou).No deaths were recorded (<a href="#B34">34</a>)
A total of 16 monkeypox cases have been reported in Cameroon between 30 April and 30 May 2018, including 1 confirmed case and no deaths. The cases were recorded in Njikwa Health district (7, including 1 confirmed), Akwaya Health District (6), Biyem-Assi health district (1), Bertoua Health District (1), and Fotokol Health District (1) (<a href="#B34">34</a>)
Unofficial sources like ProMED mail or other reporting systems of outbreaks are rapid and important sources of information. These facilitate public health professionals to respond and control disease outbreak. Nevertheless, the validity of the unofficial notification is not guaranteed and detailed epidemiological information is often missing. Data from unofficial sources is summarized in Table <a href="#T2">2</a>
Cases of human monkeypox summarized from ProMED reporting system
It is clear that surveillance but also research on the ecology
natural history and pathogenesis of the infection has to be addressed in order to design and implement needed prevention and control measures
specific improvements in laboratory diagnostics and infection control measures are needed to detect cases
Because monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, coordination of interventions between the human and animal (wildlife) health sectors is necessary, including routine sharing of information (<a href="#B19">19</a>)
Data sharing does not only imply the animal-health sector in the context of One Health
but also inter-organization sharing as well as information sharing with the wider scientific community
Timely report publishing as a form of information sharing is a moral obligation of all health professionals
there is no way to verify data obtained through passive
In the long run, comprehensive strategies to strengthen the health systems need to be initiated. This will enhance their resilience, in addition to building a strong preparedness and response capacity, thus avoiding outbreaks of big magnitudes in the future (<a href="#B86">86</a>)
It is also an urgent call to leading public health institutions to take their responsibility to share data with health professionals and to communicate transparently to the public as soon as it becomes possible
Monkeypox is a significant health concern for people living in endemic regions such as DRC and other African countries where circulation of the virus is confirmed, but it is also a global health security concern as demonstrated during the USA outbreak in 2003. Appropriate and effective interventions and active surveillance activities are urgently needed to prevent increased transmission efficiency or virulence (<a href="#B23">23</a>)
MPX is the most important orthopoxvirus in humans
certainly in the endemic areas and perhaps globally
NS and MV contributed to the conception and design of this review
NS and MV edited and revised the final manuscript
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest
Kristof Theys from the Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology
KU Leuven for his input and critical review of the manuscript
We would like to give special thanks to Toon Peters for his valuable comments and suggestions which greatly improved this review
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Citation: Sklenovsk&#x000E1; N and Van Ranst M (2018) Emergence of Monkeypox as the Most Important Orthopoxvirus Infection in Humans
Received: 10 April 2018; Accepted: 10 August 2018; Published: 04 September 2018
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Marc Van Ranst rarely allows himself to be led by fear
the Low Countries’ best-known virologist still confronts spreaders of conspiracies and fake news
he is due to receive an honorary doctorate from Radboud University
as Marc Van Ranst learned in June last year
he heard from three Dutch universities that they were awarding him an honorary doctorate
‘My first response was: they must have agreed it among themselves,’ says 57-year-old Van Ranst in the somewhat sterile lobby of the REGA Institute
the Leuven university building where he works
<a href="https://www.voxweb.nl/vox-magazine/RU_VOX01jg24-ENG-v_05.pdf?x92766" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="js-lightbox" data-lightbox="137952" ></a>
He has in the meantime picked up two of the three honorary doctorates: from the VU Amsterdam and Leiden University
He will receive the third doctorate from Radboud University on 17 October
on the occasion of the University’s centenary celebrations
his parents will be sitting in the front row
‘Of course I’m honoured to be receiving an honorary doctorate,’ says the professor
‘But my first thought is still: how nice for my parents!’
Father Van Ranst in particular reads anything he can find about his son
but he can’t help it.’ The honorary degrees act as an effective antidote to all the hate mail Van Ranst receives
my parents can read that not everyone is out to harm me.’
Marc Van Ranst was one of the Belgian government’s key advisors during the COVID-19 pandemic
He was a member of the Risk Assessment Group
the COVID-19 Scientific Committee and – in the aftermath of the pandemic – the group of 10 experts who were asked to develop an exit strategy
The virologist sat in at about every Belgian table where lockdowns
That alone was enough for many anti-vaxxers and other COVID-sceptics to hate him
It didn’t prevent Van Ranst from expressing his outspoken opinions in talk shows and on social media
after ex-military officer Jürgen Conings had tried to attack him
with heavy weapons and ammunition in his pocket
‘People found it very strange that I did that
But I was just sitting there on the sofa with my family and there wasn’t much I could do.’ He starts laughing ‘And then
That was just cruel and unusual punishment.’
Van Ranst would take out his phone and check how people on social media were reacting to his involuntary isolation
Van Ranst requested access to the Telegram group ‘As 1 man behind Jürgen’
where sympathisers of the ex-military officer were gathered online
The fact that those people really do exist.’ That night
Van Ranst passed the time messaging back and forth with people who would gladly have seen him dead
The last message he sent was ‘Good night warriors!’
&#8216;The media felt I was asking for trouble
As if I was expected to play the victim&#8217;
and ‘starts doing crazy things’ is not even what surprised Van Ranst most about the affair
It was the fact that a Facebook support group for Conings attracted 50,000 members
‘Just think about it&#8230; there are 50,000 people out there who think it would be a great idea to put a bullet through my head.’ He shrugs as he speaks of it
Did you expect the social unrest and polarisation to become so intense that you would have to go into hiding with your family
everyone was full of praise for virologists
People hung white sheets out of windows in support of health workers
they’re sharpening their knives at the same time
But the fact that a military officer would eventually come after me; clearly there was no way I could predict that.’
I wanted to read with my own eyes in those groups: what’s going on here
As if I was expected to play the victim and keep quiet.’
you could say: you were seeking confrontation
even though you were already heavily protected
‘Why should I silently watch from the side without responding
you get a call from Belga (Belgium’s largest news agency
You don’t want to let the people who talk nonsense on Twitter gain too much ground.’
for example in your digital discussions with Willem Engel
I don’t agree completely with what you’re saying.” You can also choose not to respond at all
I did that with Engel until he started talking about me
he was also getting invited to appear on talk shows
some people wanted me to debate with him on TV
The general public ends up thinking that the truth must lie somewhere in the middle
You wouldn’t enter into debate with someone who says the earth is flat
Why do you choose to engage in online discussion then
there were a lot of so-called scientists who stood up and started criticising the COVID-19 policy
These were often emeriti or people from the US
It’s hard for the general public to assess how much expertise these people have
they do have ‘professor’ in front of their name
there’s nothing wrong with saying: this guy trained as a virologist 25 years ago
he has not published a single relevant scientific paper since
What did you want to become when you were little
‘An astronaut: after seeing the moon landing as a four-year-old
I was completely captivated by the NASA Apollo programme
And I did get to talk to someone from NASA in Houston
but the problem was that I neither spoke nor understood English.’
‘This summer I spent two days at the Efteling
where I had my first solo exhibition with my digital art works in a gallery.’
but that same day Eddy Merckx won his first of five Tour de France
I promptly became a lifelong fan of this amazing cyclist
Not just because of his unique track record
but mainly because you could see that Merckx was suffering on his bike
Do you think scientists should speak out more often against fake news
When people write that they’ve become magnetic after being injected with a COVID-19 vaccine
I send a tweet that I’ve been stuck to my fridge for four hours
There are some things you shouldn’t take seriously and it’s good to inject some humour sometimes.’
Don’t you also partly owe your Dutch honorary doctorates to Willem Engel
The lawsuits you won against him haven’t been bad for your reputation
But would I have been awarded the honorary doctorates if I’d stayed quietly at the lab and fiddled around with test tubes
Many of your colleagues are very good when it comes to content
but they tend not express themselves in the media much
‘You are lucky in the Netherlands to have the best virologist in the world: Ab Osterhaus
Marion Koopmans also certainly deserves an honorary doctorate
And I’d like to bet that a Nobel Prize will soon be awarded to the people who developed the mRNA vaccine (including Katalin Karikó
who received an honorary doctorate from Radboud University last year
&#8216;Being afraid is rarely productive&#8217;
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of those vaccines
I expect we’ll soon have mRNA vaccines against influenza
Marc Van Ranst got his first microscope as a gift
after which he started experimenting in his own private laboratory at his home in Boom
he knocked on the door of the local hospital to ask whether he might be allowed to use their laboratory facilities
‘My favourite time at the lab was Saturday evening
One of the lessons he learned during that time was that you also need a bit of luck
‘Those people could also have said: get lost
I would visit pharmacists to collect old chemicals
There’s no way that would be possible now – you need all kinds of environmental permits for that these days.’
And it’s not just science that Van Ranst is passionate about
His serious hobbies are like yin and yang: stamp collecting and mountaineering
All mountains between 4.8 and 7 kilometres high
Is it in your nature to seek out dangerous situations
Isn’t it the risks and the excitement that make mountaineering fun
you’re in the most beautiful hotel there is.’
You climb mountains and don’t shy away from threats
‘It’s true that I’m not easily put off by certain things
But I’m not an action hero or a thrill seeker
You just walk around the Market Square in Leuven
But if I go somewhere on an official visit
Van Ranst’s life has moved into a calmer phase
but it sounds good.’ He immediately adds: ‘But it’s also not like I had to work in the coal mines for years.’
He is often asked if he doesn’t miss the COVID-19 crisis a bit
‘People think it must have been a fantastic period for virologists like me.’ But nothing could be further from the truth
Looking back now on the government’s intervention
‘If there was to be another outbreak tomorrow
We were confronted with exponentially growing curves
So should you first have a broad public debate about the measures
the Netherlands was the only European country to go into lockdown one last time
‘The problem was that the Netherlands had very few ICU beds
It enabled us to say: we will get through this wave without people lying in hospital corridors
But you faced the risk of overloading the healthcare system
and people weren’t willing to take that risk
The low number of ICU beds is a policy choice
‘I also argued for more ICU beds in a House of Representatives Committee – at least it could have prevented that last lockdown
&#8216;That last lockdown was very damaging to public opinion on Covid-19 measures&#8217;
But that isn’t going to change I think; people in the Netherlands simply deal with it differently – after all
The fact is that that last lockdown was very damaging to public opinion on COVID-19 measures.’
Are we better prepared for the next pandemic
‘Many people think we now have a magic recipe for the next pandemic
That we’ll be able to manage it away thanks to smart politicians taking the right measures based on great scientific advice from virologists
and that’s what I want to warn people about
The only thing we can do – as I said at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – is turn a massive disaster into a slightly less massive disaster.’
‘I’m going to give you the same answer that I would have given if you’d asked me in 2019
Probably a weird and unexpected influenza virus
Something avian flu-like perhaps – we saw more and more outbreaks of this among mammals last year
That makes you think: nature is experimenting
it doesn’t work that way with virus outbreaks.’
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the number of new infections with the coronavirus Covid-19 has risen sharply in Belgium
The virologists did not expect this to happen at this time of the year
Despite recent rise in the number of people in Belgium with coronavirus
the virologist Professor Marc Van Ranst (photo above) of Leuven University’s Rega Institute for Medical Research believes that there is no reason to panic
analysis of wastewater showed an increased presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Testing wastewater is currently one of the most certain methods to find out how much coronavirus is in circulation
Professor Van Ranst told VRT News that the figures from the analysis of wastewater often provide an “Early warning sign
as they predict quite well what will happen in terms of infections”
Professor Van Ranst finds it strange that coronavirus levels are currently so high
&quot;We hardly saw any coronavirus last summer and that was good news
then that is part of the normal development and also part of the solution.&quot;
&quot;But we shouldn&#x27;t exaggerate the threat either
There&#x27;s no way that these levels are comparable with the first waves in 2020 and 2021
but these are normally a little more prevalent in the winter,&quot; Professor Van Ranst told VRT News
The current new wave of infections may be an indication that some new variants of the virus are circulating
Professor Van Ranst puts this into perspective
&quot;New variants appear all the time and each time they are given a new name and a few weeks later they are replaced by other new variants and with different names
We&#x27;ve seen this happen dozens of times
These are still Omicron variants and as long as this remains the case
Only when it is no longer an Omicron variant do we risk things becoming more serious
Only then do we need to take appropriate measures.&quot;
Professor Van Ranst currently sees no need for such measures to be taken
Police search forest in Limburg for soldier ‘Jurgen C’ who has links to extreme right and went missing from his barracks
</a>Police in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/belgium" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="auto-linked-tag">Belgium</a> are searching for a heavily armed soldier with links to the extreme right who has made threats against a high-profile virologist who backed the country’s Covid lockdowns
has been missing since Monday after taking from his barracks at four rocket launchers
Special forces and police were searching Dilserbos forest
on Tuesday night after the man’s Audi car was found
The federal prosecutor’s office said that “the most worrying weapons were found in the car”
Conings is believed to still be armed with a submachine gun and a 5.7mm pistol
Searches were continuing on Wednesday in the Hoge Kempen national park
including on his upper arms At the time of his disappearance
he was said to be a wearing a dark Timberland T-shirt
Conings’ girlfriend had alerted the army after reportedly discovering two suicide letters to friends and family at his home in Lanklaar in which he said he no longer wished to live “in such a society ruled by politicians and virologists”
A corporal who specialises in firearms training, he wrote that he would “join the resistance and would not surrender without a fight”, according to the <a href="https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20210519_93480092" data-link-name="in body link">Het Nieuwsblad</a> newspaper
He has known links to figures in the extreme right of Belgian politics
and was on the radar of anti-terrorist authorities
“It is feared that he wants to carry out a violent action
but the correct possible targets are still unclear,” the public prosecutor Eric Van Duyse said
Special forces were searching Dilserbos forest with the aid of a helicopter and local residents were asked to stay indoors for their own safety
The military army base of Kleine Brogel was also under extra surveillance
Conings is said to have specifically threatened Marc Van Ranst
a virologist and government adviser who regularly appears in the media
He tweeted earlier this year: “Who has Van Ranst’s address?”
Conings was subsequently disciplined and confined to a desk job but was recently allowed to resume his usual duties
The soldier has been in the army since 1992 and has undertaken tours in Afghanistan
who has been moved with his family to a safe house
told local media: “Let one thing be clear: such threats do not make the slightest impression on me.”
that Conings had been surveilling his home
“There were indications that this guy had come to scout the town where I live,” Van Ranst said
Questions are now being asked as to why Conings was allowed to serve given his open support for the extreme right and the nature of his social media posts
He is understood to have a relationship with Thomas Boutens
who was convicted in 2014 as leader of the neo-Nazi group Blood
Boutens tweeted on Tuesday: “The thoughts are with an old colleague’s brother in arms
even if it is in a world that spits on the faithful.”
Belgium's top virologist Marc Van Ranst said he has been under police protection following "tangible" threats from members of the far right
The police informed him three weeks ago about "tangible plans to cause harm," Van Ranst said in an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD6LclUFlIM&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">interview with Techmag</a>
a police car has been driving past his house every hour
adding that he had rejected a proposal to have a police car parked in front of his home
The virologist said he believes that the threats come from the extreme right
"I've been following the extreme right for 30 years," he said
Van Ranst regularly uses social media to criticize politicians from the right-wing N-VA and far-right Vlaams Belang
The police confirmed to <a href="https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/07/16/viroloog-marc-van-ranst-krijgt-politiebescherming-na-bedreiging/" target="_blank">local media</a> that there were threats made
An investigation is underway into who made the threats
the virologist said he is not planning on disappearing from public life
but fortunately I have grown thick skin in recent years
my faith in mankind is stronger than ever," Van Ranst said
I have seen so many wonderful initiatives from different corners of the country that bear witness to solidarity
That is the best response to the polarization in our society," he added
the new head of the Netherlands’ far-right-led government is not afraid of bending the rules
Ruling with a far-right party is no longer taboo as Dutch politicians agree an outline deal
but will anyone be willing to work with the election&#8217;s far-right winner
anti-Islam Euroskeptic who won Wednesday&#8217;s election will need a few friends to become PM
The murder of a 23-year-old transgender woman in the Kurdish city of Duhok on Monday has reaffirmed fears among the LGBTQ+ community in Iraq of the dangers faced by those who are non-heterosexual
or gender non-binary anywhere in the country
in what authorities have described as a so-called "honour killing"
The Kurdistan Regional Government's security services said they had opened an investigation into the killing
which has been condemned by both local activists and diplomats
Social media users began spreading #JusticeForDoskiAzad
calling for her killer to be brought to justice - but Iraqi LGBTQ+ activists are afraid there is little hope of that
an LGBTQ+ activist originally from the city of Sulaymaniyah
"As long as the KRG turns a blind eye to the LGBT+ cause and the issues the community face in the region
things like this will continue happening," added Ali
While living openly as LGBTQ+ in conservative Iraq has long been difficult
the autonomous Kurdish region in the north has attempted to present itself as a relatively liberal and secure haven compared to the south
another trans woman called Misho was also murdered by her brother
and it’s still unclear if the perpetrator was ever brought to justice," said Ali
"Not only do we have to accept that we could be murdered at any given moment
but we have to also expect that our murderers will most likely roam around free!"
Politicians in Iraqi Kurdistan have attempted to show that the region does support tolerance of diversity of sexual orientation
While discussing sexuality and the rights of sexual minorities is taboo among Iraqi politicians in the south
a number of KRG politicians have been willing to express a degree of support
Qubad Talabani, the KRG's deputy prime minister, has previously&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/qubadjt/status/1094274731359027203">tweeted </a>that he believed "all citizens
ethnic identity and sexual preference deserve equal rights
this veneer of tolerance means little when compared to the reality of their lives in what is still a conservative and patriarchal society
I am really shocked that the Kurdish government in social media always tries always to present Kurdistan as a safe place...specially Erbil
[and they attempt] to show that the culture is open and accepting," said Bashar Taha
an LGBTQ+ rights campaigner who now lives in Germany
"But sadly the reality is totally different and
the KRG said that "phenomena that are contrary to social laws and traditions" had to be dealt with within the legal system and claimed that "Kurdistan remains a safe haven for the practice of individual freedoms"
In a tweet, Ali <a href="https://twitter.com/JiyarEli/status/1489238190456254466">said </a>the comments had clearly been inserted to "satisfy the conservatives who want to murder anyone not fitting the heteronormative narrative"
In April last year, Sulaymaniyah, sometimes seen as the most liberal city in Iraq, <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-lgbtq-kurdish-city-arrests-spark-debate">witnessed </a>a police operation that saw the arrest of 15 LGBTQ+ men
Although the Directorate of Security in Sulaymaniyah said the arrests were not focused on any one group
operation supervisor Pshtiwan Bahadin told local media that the arrests were aimed at "homosexuals" and said they had taken place with the "cooperation of all the security forces"
Human Rights Watch said they were "deeply disturbed" by the incident which left the LGBTQ+ community "<a href="https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/02042021">terrified</a>" and afraid of further persecution
are indicative of why violence against LGBTQ+ people goes unresolved
LGBT+ people are detained when they go to the police to report a crime," he explained
The government has failed to provide basic services and necessities to the community
and not enough effort is put into investigation of hate crime cases like Doski's.”
This article is available in French on <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/fr/actu-et-enquetes/irak-lgbtqi-kurdistan-meurtres-libertes-activistes">Middle East Eye French edition</a>.
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Facebook group set up in support of armed fugitive accumulated 50,000 members before being shut down
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<a href="/topic/belgium">Belgium</a>’s top virologist
who has been forced into hiding by an armed far-right soldier thought to be hunting him
is reported to be even more concerned by the man’s newfound supporters
Shooting instructor Jurgen Conings disappeared from his barracks on 17 May allegedly armed with stolen anti-tank rocket launchers and a range of guns, having expressed a desire to kill Professor Marc van Ranst in letters left for his wife and the police which railed against <a href="/topic/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> restrictions and the political leaders imposing them
Prof Van Ranst and his family were moved into hiding the following day – but not before the trained killer turned up outside his home
waiting for me to arrive home from work,” the virologist told the BBC from his top-secret safe house nearly three weeks later
adding that he had luckily returned home from work earlier than usual that day
these are the kind of people that you would prefer not to have hunting you.”
But despite urgent efforts to capture Mr Conings now involving four different nations
German and Luxembourger troops having offered their support to a hundreds-strong search effort
the rogue corporal has also attracted a significant number of apparent supporters
One group created in support of Mr Conings on Facebook
is reported to have attracted 50,000 members before it was shut down
Some sympathisers have moved to the encrypted messaging app Telegram – where Prof Van Ranst decided to join a group of the same name last week and confront its more than 1,000 members
“I thought I’d come and scout around to see what creativity bubbles up here,” Prof Van Ranst is reported by local media to have written
“And a lot of spelling mistakes!!!” he added in a further message
what did we expect from a group of terrorist supporters.”
He later told the <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57358492">BBC</a>: “These are real people
who really think this man is a hero and that I deserve to die
who wage bets on exactly when and with how many bullets he will murder me.”
Those supporting the armed fugitive appear to share his anger over lockdown restrictions and the public figures associated with them
“If you're on television a couple of times every day for months on end
“There are a group of people that hate science and hate scientists
Very often they are scared and uncertain.”
Mr Conings also appears to have found some favour in the northern region of Flanders
After it emerged that Mr Conings was a member of the far-right Flemish nationalist party Vlaams Belang
its president Tom van Grieken drew criticism for failing to condemn his actions strongly enough
Mr van Grieken claimed many voters “support his opposition to the system”
“People are ruled by the losers of elections and by figures they have not been able to choose,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws
referencing Prof Van Ranst and health minister Frank Vandenbroucke by name
“Our political elite is so cowardly that it has its policy explained by virologists
The opposition's opinion is barely mentioned in newspapers
and people with a different view are censored on social media
The people are led by leaders they do not want and they are no longer allowed to speak their mind
With the soldier’s letters suggesting Prof Van Ranst may not be the only target he has in mind
security has been increased in a number of places since his disappearance
At least 10 people are receiving police protection
the national broadcaster VRT reported on Monday
adding that there was talk of extending police support to several mosques in Limburg
despite a search party comprising soldiers
police and sniffer dog teams having descended upon the Hoge Kempen National Park in Limburg
Residents are reported to have heard gunshots and a car believed to have been abandoned by Mr Congings was discovered
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/4avx4m/jurgen-conings-a-far-right-soldier-stole-weapons-and-disappeared-into-a-forest-or-did-he">Vice</a> reported a Belgian police official as saying that Mr Conings’ ability to operate under great stress as well as carefully plan missions now poses the greatest concern.
“Maybe he’s very good at hiding and is in the woods but there’s nothing after a week,” they said. 
“But it looks more like this was a decoy for him to escape the area and if that’s the case it means he planned this, but to what end? We are now concerned that this has all been carefully orchestrated for a reason and he plans to act violently.”
Speaking from his police safe house, Prof Van Ranst said: “I think you can hide pretty much forever if you really want to. There are many ways to disappear, especially if you leave the country.”
govt and politics"},{"score":0.761739,"label":"/society/crime/personal offense/assault"},{"score":0.717812,"label":"/law
Leiden University is awarding an honorary doctorate to virologist Marc van Ranst
Van Ranst has been one of the main advisers of the Belgian government during the Covid pandemic
German Arabist Beatrice Gründler will also receive an honorary doctorate for her work in the field of Oriental Manuscript Studies
The honorary doctorates will be awarded during Leiden University’s Dies Natalis
will receive an honorary doctorate for his significant contribution to epidemiology and virology
you have advised the government alongside your scientific work
You have been an indefatigable communicator who has been the steadfast voice of reason on the television
radio and newspapers as well as on social media,’ Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl writes to Van Ranst
Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at Freie Universität
will receive an honorary doctorate in Oriental Manuscript Studies in recognition of her career-long contributions to the understanding of classical Arabic language
and in particular her ground-breaking role in illuminating the dynamics of the Arabic-Persian literary practice
its expression in the manuscript tradition
Van Ranst was nominated for the honorary doctorate by the deans of three faculties together: Pancras Hogendoorn (Medicine)
Paul Wouters (Social and Behavioural Sciences) and Erwin Muller (Governance and Global Affairs)
His honorary supervisor is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology Frits Rosendaal from the LUMC.&nbsp; 
Gründler was nominated by the Faculty of Humanities with the support of Leiden University Libraries
She will receive her honorary doctorate from Professor of Arabic Petra Sijpesteijn
Both honorary doctorates will be awarded on 8 February 2023
during Leiden University’s 448th Dies Natalis
The Leuven University (KUL) virologist Marc Van Ranst has told VRT News that he is satisfied with the measures announced after Friday’s meeting of representatives of the federal
regional and language community governments
Speaking on VRT Radio 1’s morning news and current affairs programme ‘De ochtend’
Professor Van Ranst said “I think that all virologists are satisfied
we remain concerned and would like to call on everyone to follow the measures as well as possible
where you don’t have to do the maximum that is allowed
If you can have fewer than is allowed it can only help”
Professor Van Ranst says that he doesn’t think that there is much difference between the new lockdown and the first lockdown in the spring
“We have dealt with a number of things differently
youth work will be given greater support and during the day we will be able to travel to where we wish
We have tried to prevent endless discussions like those we had last time with people that have second homes
this largely ties in with what we did the first time
During recent weeks relatively strict measures were already in force
Professor Van Ranst says that it is still too early to draw any conclusions about their effectiveness
the early indications haven’t pointed to a sharp fall
then the mindset among the population was different
this is a lockdown and the measures need to be upheld”
Van Ranst and his family were taken to safety
Special units of the Belgian police are searching the forest areas in search of a heavily armed soldier who disappeared after alleged threats of violence
and in the past he threatened virologist Mark van Ranst
who was one of the most responsible for the Belgian government's plan in the fight against the corona virus pandemic
The suspect is said to be armed with rocket launchers and handguns
Police were searching a forest in the Dilsen Stoken area near the border with the Netherlands after a car said to belong to a soldier was spotted
Police describe him as a "potentially extremely violent right-wing extremist"
He is said to have left letters indicating that he is ready for a deadly battle against the police and that he "can no longer live in a society where politicians and virologists have taken everything away from us"
who is considered the most famous Belgian virologist
Belgian Justice Minister Vincent van Quickenborn told Flemish television that there were indications that he was "violent and that during the previous 24 hours there was evidence that the suspect posed a threat."
Watch the video about how vaccines against the corona virus are made
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A Polish bus has gone off the E34 motorway in Ranst (east of Antwerp) and crashed into the ground several metres lower
but 13 of them can leave hospital today or tomorrow
One person is still in a life-threatening condition
The accident happened around 5.30 this morning
The bus came from Volgograd was on its way to Paris
but went off the road and went right through the safety barriers
most of them teenagers from the city of Surovikino near Volgograd
the bus driver and one other adult didn&#x27;t survive the crash
They were taken to hospitals in the area (Lier
Deurne and the Stuyvenbergh Hospital in Antwerp)
16 casualties can leave hospital again today or tomorrow
one person is still in a life-threatening condition
The scene of the accident shows that a lot of the passengers&#x27; belongings were catapulted out of the bus during the crash
The accident happened at a straight stretch of road
which could mean that the bus driver fell asleep or became unwell
The language barrier made communication with the surviving passengers difficult
a crane arrived at the scene to lift the wreckage and put it back on the motorway
to allow it to be towed away for further investigation
The municipality opened a special line where friends and family of the victims can get more information: 0032-3-470.10.86
The Russian embassy in Belgium is doing what it can to get the young victims back home as soon as possible
The Russian authorities have sent a plane to Belgium to arrange the repatriation of the victims
also told reporters that Russian diplomats have been sent out to the hospitals that are treating the Russian victims
Speaking on VRT Radio 1’s morning news and current affairs programme ‘De ochtend’ the Leuven University (KUL) virologist Marc Van Ranst said that although the novel coronavirus is everywhere it is the cities that are fuelling the epidemic
Professor Van Ranst pointed to the situation in Brussels and Antwerp
but also said that other urban centres such as Ghent
Liège and Seraing also have disproportionally more coronavirus infections than smaller towns and rural areas
He said that “They would be coloured in dark red on the European Centre for Disease control’s map”
On Monday the Mayors of the 19 Brussels municipalities will meet to discuss the situation in the capital
Professor Van Ranst called on them to show political courage and take the difficult decisions that are required even though public opinion is calling for measures to be relaxed
This coming Wednesday the National Security Council will meet
It seems certain that changes will be made to the social contact bubble that currently allows us to have close contact (i.e
normal relations without social distancing) with a set group of 5 people with whom we don’t share a home
&quot;You will end up with one or another initiative that will result in the same thing
You could go for a 10-person social bubble or a bubble that varies in size
but it will always be difficult to limit our social contacts”
The virologist calls for a system like that in Ireland
Australia and several other countries where different measures are applied according to the evolution of the epidemic
“This makes things clears in as far as we then know which level
we end up in a lower level and are in a higher level when the epidemic has gained ground
This allows people to know what the future might bring”
Professor Van Ranst went on to warn that the number of infections among older people is rising
Children mix with their parents and grandparents
You can’t hope that an epidemic will be limited to one age category”
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