Veterinarians infected with the virus many years ago describe lesions, flu-like symptoms

Contracted veterinarian Monkeypox During the 2003 outbreak in the United States, he described the “terrifying” test of sudden illness before authorities knew what was happening.

Dr. Kurt Zeske, now retired in Wisconsin, said he developed flu-like symptoms and lesions after contacting a monkeypox-infected prairie dog through a client. Neither knew what made the animal sick.

“My fear was,’Oh, is this an exotic illness? I have to understand what it is,'” Zesuke said.

Zaeske recalled that his symptoms were “very similar to the flu.” He had a fever, dizziness, nausea, malaise and a headache. After that, he began to develop small lesions on his body. It has become quite painful. “

The current outbreak of monkeypox has identified the disease in 15 European countries, in addition to the United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Australia and Israel. The total number of non-African cases where the virus is commonly found exceeds 200.

Prior to this, the largest monkeypox outbreak affecting the Western Hemisphere It was 2003 When the United States identified 47 cases.

It was then that Zaeske became ill. Prairie dog clients were exotic animal breeders who also sold animals to pet stores, Zesuke said. The breeder received him a prairie dog shipment, but told him that some were ill and died. Prairie dogs were found to have been exposed to rodents that spread the virus at some point.

Zaeske said he had prescribed antibiotics to the animal, but the breeder immediately called him and said he and his sister were sick.

Zaeske said he contacted a state laboratory to test samples from prairie dogs. After treating and euthanizing one of them for that purpose, he began to feel sick himself.

“Suddenly I felt sick, and of course I was very worried because I didn’t know what it was at the time,” he said.

“My biggest fear was that I lost my thumb and couldn’t practice anymore,” he added, referring to the lesion.

Zaeske was given antibiotics and he said he recovered quickly, but the pain from the thumb lesions lasted longer. No one else in his family or his staff got sick.

Eventually, investigators determined that the infected prairie dog caused people to develop monkeypox. All US patients were in contact with prairie dogs at some point and no one died.

Zaeske said the ordeal was “scary at first, but also fascinating” to participate as part of a medical professional.

Since 2003, the world is becoming more and more interrelated, so “I think we’re probably three or four degrees away from serious exotic illnesses,” he added.

“I think you can see it very clearly — any type of exotic illness can now occur and, as you know, can spread around the world. “I will.”

In this new outbreak, the world said it was “lucky” that this monkeypox strain “tend to be non-fatal.”

About 1% of people with this type of monkeypox have died in the past. According to the World Health OrganizationCompared to up to 10 percent of people infected with different strains of the virus.

The United States has so far identified two cases of monkeypox in Massachusetts and New York.On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was investigating four. Suspicious case: 1 in New York City, 1 in Florida, 2 in Utah. All cases confirmed and suspected so far are male and Travel relatedCDC officials said.

Health departments in California, Florida, and Washington have also published additional putative cases, respectively.

More cases are expected to be identified, but authorities say there is no evidence that the virus is widespread throughout the country and that the United States has a stockpile of vaccines that can be used for close contact with infected patients. I added.

Zaeske said that the outbreak of monkeypox is not as serious as a pandemic, but “I think this is a call to the world to awaken that we may be starting to see more of these.” I have to be more vigilant. About monitoring. “