Monkeypox
What is monkeypox:
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1985 at the State Institute of Vaccines in Copenhagen, Denmark
The name monkeypox came when smallpox spread among monkeys, while investigating a disease similar to smallpox among monkeys.
The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Monkeypox has been reported in several Central and West African countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone. The majority of infections occur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cases of monkeypox virus infection have occurred in people outside Africa linked to international travel or imported animals, including cases in the United States, as well as Israel, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
The natural reservoir of monkeypox is still unknown. However, African rodents and monkeys may harbor the virus and infect humans.
The monkeypox virus is transmitted to humans from a variety of wild animals, but its spread at the secondary level is limited through human-to-human transmission.
- There is no treatment or vaccine available to combat monkeypox, although the previous vaccination against smallpox proved highly effective in preventing it.
Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease, the symptoms of which last for a period ranging from 14 to 21 days, and severe cases of children are more common, depending on the extent of exposure to the virus, the health status of the patient, and the severity of complications resulting from it.
Transmission of monkeypox:
Infection with monkeypox is caused by direct contact with the blood, body fluids, skin lesions, or mucous fluids of infected animals.In Africa, cases of infection caused by handling infected monkeys, giant gambian rats or squirrels have been documented.
Noting that rodents are the main reservoir of the virus, it is possible that eating undercooked meat from infected animals is a risk factor associated with infection.
Transmission of the disease at the secondary level or from one person to another can result from intimate contact with the secretions of the “respiratory pathway” of an infected person or its skin lesions, or from contact with objects that have recently been contaminated with the patient’s fluids or substances that cause pests.
The disease is transmitted primarily by respiratory particles that take the form of "droplets" that usually require long periods of face-to-face contact.
This exposes family members of active cases to a high risk of infection, and the disease can be transmitted through vaccination or through the placenta (congenital monkeypox),
There is no evidence yet that monkeypox can persist in humans simply by being transmitted from one person to another.
Signs of monkeypox disease:
The incubation period for monkeypox, which is the time between infection and the onset of symptoms, ranges from 6 to 16 days, and can range from 5 to 21 days.The stage of infection can be divided into periods as follows :
The invasion period (0 - 5 days) is characterized by fever, severe headache, enlarged lymph nodes, back and muscle pain, severe weakness with loss of energy.
The period of rash appearance (1-3 days after a fever) during which the various stages of the rash appearing, which start on the face most of the time and then spread to other parts of the body.
The rash develops in about 10 days from macular papules (flat-based lesions) to vesicles (small fluid-filled blisters) and pustules, followed by scabs, that may take up to 3 weeks to completely disappear.
▪︎ The number of lesions ranges between a few and several thousand, affecting the mucous membranes of the mouth in 70% of cases, the genitals 30%, and the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye 20%.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox disease?
Monkeypox virus belongs to the poxvirus family. Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, bloating, back pain, muscle aches, lethargy, and a rash often on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
- Symptoms of monkeypox are enlarged lymph nodes, high fever, and smallpox on the body like normal smallpox, or it is engorged and filled with fluid inside.
Some patients develop severe swollen lymph nodes before the rash appears, a feature that distinguishes monkeypox from other similar diseases.
Fears of the spread of monkeypox:
- The Epidemiological Control Center mentioned fears of the spread of monkeypox because it is different from the way the disease was transmitted previously.
- Where cases of this disease were recorded in the last decade, but it was not transmitted widely between people and the infection is few.
- While the cases recorded this year, the transmission of infection is faster through saliva or contact with the patient's secretions, in addition to transmission through sex.
- Expectations indicate that monkeypox is spreading in countries without the ability to trace its source or the people carrying monkeypox.
Without knowing how the first case of monkeypox got infected, or where exactly.
Good news about monkeypox:
But the good news is that those who received the smallpox vaccine as children are protected by 80% from infection with monkeypox.
The infection disappears without medical interventiond Symptoms last about 14 to 21 days. Most infections with this virus are mild, sometimes similar to chickenpox, but the infection can sometimes be serious.
The number of recorded cases of monkeypox worldwide
Several foreign countries, including Britain, Portugal, Canada and the United States, announced the registration of monkeypox cases, where 68 cases of monkeypox were recorded globally.
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