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MonkeyPox: Everything You Need To Know About It!

By DocSmart 30th August 2023

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MonkeyPox

HOW IS MONKEYPOX TRANSMITTED

SYMPTOMS OF MONKEYPOX

epidemic

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monkeypox cases

what is monkeypox

how does monkeypox spread


Here's what you need to know

World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the spread of monkeypox worldwide, and the Biden administration declared a public health emergency for the United States two months after cases began to appear.

 

WHAT IS MONKEYPOX?

Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The virus is similar to the one that causes smallpox. The first human case was identified in 1970, and since then, it’s primarily caused outbreaks in a handful of countries in Africa.

 

SHOULD WE BLAME MONKEYS FOR MONKEYPOX?

Do not disturb the monkeys. Because it was initially discovered in a laboratory monkey in 1958, monkeypox gained its name. However, this virus enjoys the company of many little hairy animals, particularly rodents. In 2003, when some domesticated prairie dogs were living among infected species from West Africa, there was one of the final outbreaks in the US.

According to the CDC, infected animals can transmit monkeypox to humans, but there haven't been any verified examples of humans transmitting the disease to animals. Nevertheless, they do caution that "petting, caressing, embracing, kissing, licking, sharing sleeping spaces, and sharing meals" are all ways in which a human with the disease may infect an animal and pass it to it.

 

WHERE IS MONKEYPOX SPREADING?

Cases of monkeypox are appearing all over the world. Right now, cases are primarily clustered among men who have sex with other men, but anyone can catch the virus.

 

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MONKEYPOX?

Lesions on the body that resemble blisters and pimples are the most obvious symptoms of monkeypox. In the past, episodes of monkeypox frequently involved body-wide lesions. However, during this epidemic, many people only have a small number of blisters on a single location of the body, such as the vaginal region. Additionally, patients have headaches, fevers, enlarged lymph nodes, and other flu-like symptoms.

The condition can be extremely uncomfortable but is typically not deadly. Normally, it lasts between two and four weeks.

  

I’M GETTING FLASHBACKS — IS THIS COVID-19 ALL OVER AGAIN?

No, this isn’t COVID-19 all over again. This isn’t a new virus. Scientists have known about monkeypox for decades, even if it hasn’t popped up in this many countries before. There are already treatments and vaccines that work against it. Even if most people in the US hadn’t heard of monkeypox before, we’re not starting from scratch the way we did with the coronavirus.

 

IS THIS MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK A PANDEMIC?

Nope. Monkeypox, while it is spreading around the world, is still considered to be an outbreak. There are not really any official criteria for a pandemic, but the World Health Organization ultimately makes the call as to whether a disease outbreak qualifies, and that hasn’t happened yet. The last pandemic to be declared was COVID-19 in March 2020, which was approximately yesterday or eight decades ago, depending on how twisted your perception of time has gotten over the past two years.

Monkeypox does now have the distinction of being a public health emergency, both in the US and the world. Emergency declarations help free up resources for countries and organizations to take more public health measures during an outbreak.



HOW CAN I GET TESTED FOR MONKEYPOX?

Right now, monkeypox testing is still limited in the United States. People can get tested by doctors or urgent care providers. Tests require swabbing a monkeypox lesion and sending it off to a lab for testing. Some people with symptoms and rashes, though, say they’re still having trouble accessing tests — many doctors still aren’t familiar with the disease.

 

ARE THERE HOME TESTS?

There are no monkeypox home tests available. There is currently no means for someone to swab a monkeypox lesion on their own, which is still required for the majority of testing. Saliva-based assays are being developed by several teams.

 

SHOULD I GRAB A MONKEYPOX VACCINE?

The good news is that Jynneos, an FDA-approved vaccine, already exists to prevent monkeypox.

The bad news is that there is now a shortage in the US. Due to the fact that receiving a vaccination soon after exposure might prevent the virus from spreading, state and municipal health offices are making it available to persons who have already been exposed to monkeypox.

In addition, males who have sex with men and those who have had several recent sexual partners in locations where the illness is spreading are being offered the vaccination by public health experts.

 

 

HOW IS MONKEYPOX TRANSMITTED?

Monkeypox primarily spreads through person-to-person contact — when someone has close physical contact with someone who is infected with the virus. Right now, it seems to be spreading mostly through sexual contact, which is one reason why we’re seeing infections clustered in sexual networks. It could be possible to catch monkeypox by touching objects or fabrics (like sheets) that were in contact with monkeypox lesions. 

But that’s probably not a huge method of transmission, and basic hygiene measures (wiping surfaces, washing hands) should cut down on the risk.

When infected individuals exhale and those around breathe in that exhalation, the monkeypox virus may be able to spread, although it is not nearly as infectious through that pathway as COVID-19. In contrast to COVID-19, we are not finding situations where people get the virus by briefly sharing a room with a person who has monkeypox.

 

WHY IS MONKEYPOX EXPANDING SO FAST OVERNIGHT?

Researchers are still attempting to determine why monkeypox began to expand outside of its typical geographic distribution.

It's still very much up in the air whether it's due of new characteristics of the virus that enable undetected movement.


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