Great, Now Do We Have to Worry About Monkeypox?
Smallpox is the only disease we have been able to completely eradicate from the people; it has not existed anywhere in the world since 1980. But its close relative, monkeypox, still exists. Monkeypox is not as deadly as smallpox, but several recent outbreaks have caused concern among health officials.
In recent weeks , 23 suspected coronavirus cases have been reported in Spain , all in or around Madrid. Portugal has 15 suspected and 5 confirmed cases, while the UK has 7. Two cases have been identified today in the US . The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is concerned .
This is because monkeypox is generally rare outside of the African rainforests. But patterns in recent cases suggest the virus is more contagious than in past outbreaks. For example, cases in the UK include two groups of people who have not been in contact with each other, and only one concerns a person who recently traveled to an area endemic for monkeypox. It’s still too early to tell if there’s potential for a pandemic here, but the picture does show some red flags that are worrying health officials.
How dangerous is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is not as deadly as smallpox, but it is still dangerous. According to the World Health Organization , mortality ranges from 0% to 11%. The better medical care you can get, the better your chances of recovery.
Monkeypox especially affects children. People over the age of 50 or so are less likely to get sick because they were alive at the time of the campaign to eradicate smallpox. Smallpox vaccination was widely used several decades ago; if you’re young enough and don’t have a smallpox vaccination scar on your arm, your parents or grandparents probably have one.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
With an incubation period of 5 to 21 days, you won’t immediately know if you’ve been infected. Once symptoms appear, there is an “invasion phase” that lasts for about the first five days, when you may have fever, muscle aches, fatigue, severe headaches, and swollen lymph nodes. Swollen lymph nodes are one of the big differences between monkeypox and other infections such as chicken pox.
Then a rash appears: you get small lesions that are flat at first and then become raised, with fluid and then with pus inside. Most often they appear on the face (in 95% of cases), palms and soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). Other similar diseases usually do not have lesions on the palms; This is a special remedy for monkeypox.
In total, the illness lasts from two to four weeks, and then you get better.
Is there a cure or vaccine for monkeypox?
There is no specific treatment or medicine for a person with monkeypox. Treatment is “supportive care,” which may include things like keeping skin lesions clear, keeping the airways clear, and administering medication to treat fever and secondary infections. Here’s the good news: we have a vaccine. The smallpox vaccine that is still available appears to be effective against monkeypox.
How is monkeypox transmitted?
First, a fun fact: it’s usually not from monkeys. Monkeypox gets its name from an outbreak that occurred in monkeys, but scientists aren’t sure which animal or animals are most likely to carry the virus. It is likely related to rodents, and primates such as apes and humans are also susceptible.
According to the WHO, the virus is transmitted “by contact with lesions, bodily fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.” It is suspected that one of the clusters of cases in the UK may have been related to sexual transmission.
Usually, the virus does not spread well from person to person; The WHO reports that the longest chain of transmission identified involves six people. But if the latest outbreaks are more contagious than before, that could change. Masks can help, as respiratory droplets are one route of transmission (and, unlike COVID, monkeypox is only thought to be spread by large droplets, not aerosols).