What is monkeypox? Where is it spreading?

European and American health authorities Case of monkeypox These days, it’s mostly young men. This is a surprising outbreak of illness that is rarely seen outside Africa.

Health authorities around the world continue to monitor more cases, as the disease appears to be spreading for the first time among those who have not traveled to Africa. However, they emphasize that the risk to the general public is low.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a virus derived from wild animals such as rodents and primates, and occasionally infects humans. Most human cases occur in Central and West Africa, where the disease is endemic.

The disease was first identified by scientists in 1958. At this time, research monkeys had two “monkeypox-like” illnesses. Therefore, it was named monkeypox. The first known human infection was in 1970, a 9-year-old boy in a remote area of ​​Congo.

What are the symptoms and how are they treated?

Monkeypox It belongs to the same viral family as smallpox, but causes milder symptoms.

Most patients experience only fever, body aches, chills, and malaise. People with more serious illnesses have rashes and lesions on their faces and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.

The incubation period is about 5 days to 3 weeks. Most people recover in about 2-4 weeks without hospitalization.

Monkeypox can kill 1 in 10 people and is considered to be more severe in children.

People exposed to the virus are often given one of several smallpox vaccines that have been shown to be effective against monkeypox. Antiviral drugs are also being developed.

On Thursday, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended quarantining all suspicious cases and providing smallpox vaccine to high-risk contacts.

How many cases of monkeypox are usually reported each year?

The World Health Organization estimates that there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about 12 African countries each year. Most of them are in Congo, which reports about 6,000 cases annually, and Nigeria, which reports about 3,000 cases annually.

Experts say that patched health monitoring systems mean that many infected people are likely to be overlooked.

Isolated cases of monkeypox are found in the United States and UK.. Cases are usually associated with travel to Africa or contact with animals from areas where the disease is more common.

In 2003, 47 cases were confirmed or estimated in 6 states in the United States.they Caught the virus From a pet prairie dog that was kept near a small mammal imported from Ghana.

What is the difference between these cases?

It is the first time that monkeypox appears to be widespread among those who have not traveled to Africa. Most often it involves a man who has had sex with a man.

In Europe, infections have been reported in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

The UK Health and Security Agency has stated that not all of the cases are related, suggesting that there is a chain of communications. An infection in Portugal was discovered at a sexual health clinic where a man sought help with a genital lesion.

On Wednesday, U.S. officials reported a case of monkeypox in a man who recently traveled to Canada, where authorities are investigating suspected infections in the Montreal region.

Does monkeypox spread through sex?

Yes, but unknown at this time.

Monkeypox has not been reported to be transmitted by gender, but can be transmitted by close contact with infected people, body fluids, clothing and bed linen.

Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, said it was too early to determine how a British man was infected.

“In essence, sexual activity involves intimate contact and is expected to increase the likelihood of infection, regardless of the person’s sexual orientation or mode of infection,” Skinner said.

Francois Burrow of University College London said sex qualifies as a kind of close contact needed to infect the disease.

The UK case “does not necessarily mean a recent change in the route of transmission of the virus,” Barrow said.