What is Monkeypox Virus?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, it is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), zoonotic disease occurs mainly in tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa and occasionally reaches other regions.
Monkeypox Virus
In Britain, a person infected with monkeyvirus has recently come from Nigeria and probably got this infection there. The patient is being treated in a special unit at St Thomas’ Hospital.
UK health officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox virus transmitted to humans from infected animals such as rats. The infected person has recently come from Nigeria and probably got this infection there. The infected person is being treated in a special unit at St Thomas’ Hospital.
Britain’s Health Protection Agency said that monkeypox is a rare infection that does not spread easily between people and its symptoms are also mild. In most of the cases, the patient gets better within a few weeks. However, in some cases the disease can be serious.
Symptoms of monkeypox disease
The common symptoms associated with monkeypox are fever, rash, severe headache, back pain, muscle pain (myalgia), acute asthenia (lack of energy) and swollen lymph nodes.
According to the WHO, skin eruptions are also reported in monkeypox patients, which starts within 1-3 days of the appearance of fever. The rashes are more concentrated on the face. The Global Health Agency further said that in addition to the face, it affects the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, oral mucus membranes, genitals and conjunctiva as well as the cornea.
According to the WHO, the monkeypox incubation period (from infection to onset of symptoms) is usually 6 to 13 days, but it can be as long as 5 to 21 days.
How is monkeypox spread to humans?
The UK Health Protection Agency (UKHSA) said monkeypox is a rare viral infection that does not spread easily between people. According to the CDC, the disease was discovered in 1958, when there were two outbreaks of smallpox-like disease in the colonies of monkeys kept for research, from which the disease got its name.
The first case of human transmission was reported 50 years ago, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970. The WHO states that transmission can occur by direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucous wounds of infected animals.
The natural reservoir of monkeypox has not yet been identified, although rodents are most likely a potential risk factor, eating inadequately cooked meat and other animal products from infected animals.
How can monkeypox be treated?
According to WHO, there is currently no specific treatment recommended for monkeypox. Vaccination against smallpox has been found to be about 85 percent effective in preventing the disease. Therefore, it recommends childhood smallpox vaccination to prevent severe symptoms of monkeypox.
natural host of monkeypox virus
In addition to rodents, the virus has also been found in rope squirrels, tree squirrels, dormice, primates and other species.
