New Delhi: The health authorities in the US and Europe have identified a number of monkeypox cases, mostly in young men, in the past few days. The development has been a cause for alarm as this is for the first time so many cases have been reported outside Africa. According to an AP report, health officials have stressed that the risk to the general population is low. The World Health Organisation said it was coordinating with health officials over the new outbreaks.
Top Facts To Know About Monkeypox:
- Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic disease that is usually prevalent in Central and West Africa. It was first identified by scientists in 1958 in two monkeys, giving it the name Monkeypox. Monkeypox is known to be from the same family as smallpox but causes milder symptoms.
- The first-ever human transmission was recorded in 1970 in a nine-year-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where smallpox was eradicated in 1968. It has been reported in 11 African countries since.
- Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another through close contact with infected people, their body fluids and their clothing or bedsheets. Monkeypox cam also spread through sex. Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, said since sexual activity, irrespective of sexual orientation, would require people to be intimate, it would increase the risk of transmission, AP reported.
- Most people infected with monkeypox recover within about two to four weeks without needing to be hospitalised. Most patients only experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.
- Monkeypox can be fatal for up to one in 10 people and is thought to be more severe in children. However, according to WHO, the case fatality ratio has been around 3-6% in recent times.
- People who may be exposed to the virus — usually healthcare workers, laboratory personnel and scientists — are given smallpox vaccines, which have been shown to be effective against monkeypox. Anti-viral drugs are also being developed.
- People who are infected should drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food to maintain adequate nutritional status. To prevent long-term disease, manage complications and alleviate symptoms.
- Monkeypox is a virus that originates in wild animals like rodents and primates, and occasionally jumps to people. To reduce the risk of monkeypox or other zoonotic diseases, WHO says unprotected contact with wild animals, especially those that are sick or dead, including their meat, blood and other parts must be avoided.
- Massachusetts on Wednesday reported a rare case of monkeypox in a man who recently travelled to Canada, and health officials are looking into whether it is connected to small outbreaks in Europe.
- In Europe, infections have been reported in Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Most of the cases involve men who have had sex with men. Britain’s Health Security Agency said its cases are not all connected, suggesting that there are multiple chains of transmission happening. The infections in Portugal were picked up at a sexual health clinic, where the men sought help for lesions on their genitals.
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