What is that? What are the symptoms?
The United States on Wednesday recorded a case of monkeypox in Massachusetts, a rare disease usually found in Africa. A small number of confirmed or suspected cases have also been reported recently in the UK, Portugal and Spain.
The sudden increase in cases has caused concern among public health professionals around the world. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization announced it was sending a response team to respond to the outbreak in the UK.
“Monkey pox does not generally occur in the world,” Dr. Anne W. Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told USA TODAY. Rimoin, who has studied monkeypox and other infectious diseases extensively in central Africa, said such outbreaks are “rare and unusual occurrences”.
Although most people recover from the virus, it can be dangerous and deadly in some cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Here’s everything you need to know about the disease:
What is monkey pox?
Monkeypox is a rare disease that belongs to the same virus family as smallpox. The virus was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of research monkeys, according to the CDC.
The first human case of the virus was identified in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most monkeypox infections still occur there today, but the disease has also been reported in several other countries in central and west Africa, the CDC said.
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How is the transmission done?
Monkeypox is usually spread to people from infected animals like rodents. Human-to-human transmission is possible but less common, said the World Health Organization. The virus can also spread through contaminated materials.
The primary disease vector for monkeypox is still unknown, although some experts suspect African rodents play a role in transmission, the CDC said.
In parts of West and Central Africa, people can be exposed to the virus through bites or scratches from rodents and small mammals, preparation of wild game, or contact with an infected animal or animal products.
The virus does not spread easily between people, although human-to-human transmission usually occurs through large respiratory droplets. These droplets usually can’t travel more than a few feet, so prolonged face-to-face contact is needed to spread monkeypox, according to the CDC.
The UK Health Security Agency said the country’s latest cases had been seen “predominantly in gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men”. Monkeypox is not known to be a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be spread through close contact with infected people, their bodily fluids, clothing or bedding, according to the CDC.
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What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Monkeypox typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swollen lymph nodes, the CDC said. Symptoms of monkeypox are generally similar to but milder than symptoms of smallpox.
Early symptoms include fever, muscle aches, chills, and fatigue. In more severe cases, a rash may develop, often on the face and genitals, resembling those seen in chickenpox and smallpox.
Painful and itchy lesions may form all over the body, before scabbing over and falling off.
People infected with monkeypox typically begin experiencing symptoms seven to 14 days after infection, the CDC said. The illness usually lasts for several weeks.
How dangerous is monkeypox?
Most people recover from monkeypox within weeks, but the disease can be fatal, according to the World Health Organization.
Scientists have identified two forms of the virus: the West African clade and the Congo Basin clade. The West African clade is less lethal, with deaths occurring in about 1% of infections. The Congo Basin clade can kill at least 1 in 10 people who contract the disease, the World Health Organization has said.
Although the data is preliminary, Rimoin says the current outbreaks appear to be linked to the less deadly West African clade.
Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told Reuters the virus is unlikely to reach the same level of infections and deaths as COVID-19.
“It’s not going to cause a nationwide outbreak like COVID has, but it’s a serious outbreak of a serious disease — and we need to take it seriously,” Whitworth said.
Rimoin cautioned against comparisons with COVID-19 – partly because monkeypox is not a new virus: “We are not dealing with a completely new pathogen that has never been studied before. “
Rimoin said monkeypox is generally considered to have a low reproductive number, based on previous outbreaks – meaning rapid spread is considered unlikely. But further study is needed because the spread of the virus can vary under a wide variety of conditions.
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Is there a monkeypox vaccine?
Yes. A vaccine developed against smallpox has been approved for monkeypox, and several antivirals appear to be effective as well. But, according to the CDC, there is no proven and safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection.
Rimoin said the eradication of smallpox has left the world vulnerable to outbreaks of related viruses, such as monkeypox. Because smallpox vaccines are not widely administered, the immune protection they provide is lacking in billions of people around the world.
Have there ever been outbreaks of monkeypox in the United States?
The CDC says cases of monkeypox in the United States are very rare. Wednesday’s case in Massachusetts is the first US case of monkeypox this year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Texas and Maryland each reported one case in 2021 in people who traveled to Nigeria.
In 2003, health experts identified 47 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox in six states – Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin – according to the CDC. Officials traced the cases to pet prairie dogs who became infected after being housed near small mammals imported from Ghana.
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The 2003 outbreak was the first time human monkeypox was reported outside of Africa.
Nope deaths have occurred as a result of this outbreak, Rimoin said.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Wednesday’s case posed no risk to the public. But Rimoin said the recent cases are an “important reminder that an infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere”.
Contributor: The Associated Press
USA Today
