Tracking Disease in the Congo UCLA researchers study the spread
of human monkeypox in the African country Published: Monday,
December 05, 2011 By Melissa Truong for the Daily Bruin Rumors
spread quickly when Anne Rimoin and her team arrived at a remote
village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2002 to take
blood samples from every person over the age of 1. Some
villagers believed the UCLA assistant professor in epidemiology
and her team were stealing blood for white Europeans to stay
young, Rimoin said. In fact, the team was taking samples to get
specimens of human monkeypox, a disease affecting the people of
the village. Rimoin is the leader of a team of researchers,
doctors and nurses who continue to study and document the
epidemiology of the disease, which manifests itself in ways
similar to smallpox. After the team explained what it was doing,
Rimoin said the villagers were very friendly and eager to help.
“Once you explain why (you are there), they absolutely
understand what is going on and know