A monkeypox is a rare form of smallpox that is rapidly spreading. According to the World Health Organization, there have been more than 250 cases in 16 countries. Experts believe it spreads through close, prolonged contact with infected individuals.
Head of WHO Emergencies program smallpox secariat, Rosamund Lewis, stated Tuesday that countries reporting monkeypox are not usually affected by the disease. She spoke during a conference at the United Nations in Geneva.
According to WHO, Monkeypox can be found in urban areas. It is an endemic disease that occurs near tropical rainforests in central or west Africa.
The first case of monkeypox was reported in the United States in 2022. It was discovered in a patient in Massachusetts, who had just traveled from Nigeria to Canada by private transport. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease was diagnosed in two individuals who traveled from Nigeria to the United States in 2021.
Which are the first signs of monkeypox?
According to the CDC, there is a seven- to the fourteen-day incubation period. Initial symptoms include flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever, headache, muscle weakness, and exhaustion. The body then responds to infection with swelling in the lymph nodes.
According to WHO and CDC, the current outbreak appears to have a greater number of cases causing the rash in the groin.
How does monkeypox spread in the first place?
Experts say that close contact is necessary to spread the virus of monkeypox.
Infection can occur after contact with “broken skin or mucous membranes”, infected bodily fluids, or contact with contaminated linen, respiratory droplets,” Neil Mabbott (personal chair in immunopathology, University of Edinburgh) said in an announcement.
How can monkeypox be treated?
Monkeypox symptoms are not treated with any specific drugs, according to Jimmy Whitworth, is professor of international health at the London School of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.
Whitworth stated that there is a vaccine available to stop the development and spread of diseases.
A two-dose vaccine, Jynneos, is licensed in the US to stop monkeypox. It can also use to treat smallpox. In case of an outbreak of the disease, the US government has kept the vaccine in stock.
