Explained: What is Monkeypox? Its causes, symptoms and treatment
What is monkeypox and its causes
The disease was originally first discovered in 1958, when two similar virus outbreaks occurred in groups of monkeys that were used for research.
The virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which belongs to Poxviridae family. The Orthopoxvirus genus includes the Variola virus (causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in vaccine for smallpox) and the cowpox virus.
This virus can spread for a variety of reasons, as per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
One reason for its spread is when a person comes in touch with an infected human or an animal. When an infected animal’s blood or bodily fluids or pox lesions come in contact with skin, such as scratches, bites, animals to human virus transmission happens.
It can also be transmitted from person-to-person but this is very rare. This transmission happens when an individual comes in touch with an infected person. By touching an infected person’s sores, you too can become infected.
The virus can be transferred through sneezing, coughing and airborne droplets.
Symptoms
Monkeypox symptoms are much similar to smallpox, although they are usually milder. Fever, chills, headache, exhaustion and muscle aches are among the symptoms of monkeypox.
Monkeypox cases
This time’s transmission cases in United Kingdom have been nine as of May 18 and had no known connections. Only the first cases reported was announced on May 6, travelled recently to Nigeria, news agency AFP reported.
Since May early, health officials in North America and Europe have discovered hundreds of suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox, are raising fears that this disease, which is prevalent in areas of Africa is spreading.
Canada is the latest country to report monkeypox cases to say it examining more than a dozen of suspected cases, after Spain and Portugal reported more than 40 cases of monkeypox.
After United Kingdom, the United States confirmed its first case on Wednesday (May 18) claiming a a man tested positive for the pox after visiting Canada.
Treatment
There are no such particular treatments for monkeypox infection, and the outbreaks can be managed.
Smallpox vaccine, cidofovir, ST-246 and vaccinia immune globulin can be used to control a monkeypox outbreak (VIG).
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