Monkeypox-Monkeypox: How to Protect Yourself from Viruses

Increasing cases of monkeypox in many European countries

German wave

Due to the increase in monkeypox infection, the World Health Organization is in urgent consultation. This does not mean that another pandemic is occurring, but some people will need additional protection.

Monkeypox infections are registered in more than 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain.

In response, the World Health Organization will convene an emergency meeting on June 23 to determine whether the disease will threaten public health on a larger scale.

WHO may declare a public health emergency of international concern, but the decision may take several days.

No worries about another pandemic

If WHO declares an emergency, for now doctors need to be alert and inform patients about their illness.

Experts say that monkeypox is very unlikely to develop into a pandemic. Unlike SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox virus is transmitted only by close contact with the infected person.

However, some groups of people, such as health care workers who treat people with monkeypox and friends and family of infected people, need to take additional precautions.

How does monkeypox spread to humans?

Despite its name, monkeys are not the natural host of the virus. Researchers believe that the main host, or known “reservoir,” is the species of African rodents such as rats, dormouses, and African squirrels in Gambian bags.

The virus is believed to first infect humans in the 1970s from the handling of bushmeat and the bites and scratches of infected animals. According to researchers, monkeypox outbreaks come at the cost of increasing contact with wildlife due to logging and poaching.

One of the major routes of monkeypox transmission to non-African countries was by animal transport around the world. For example, experts tracked a small outbreak in the United States in 2003 from Ghana to a rodent that was transported to a pet store in the United States.

Communication from person to person

In current outbreaks, most infected clusters do not appear to have direct travel links to African countries where the virus is endemic to wildlife. This suggests that monkeypox is mainly transmitted from person to person.

The exact mechanism of infection remains unknown, but the virus is thought to enter the body through broken skin, respiratory tract, or eyes, nose, and mouth.

Infection between humans occurs primarily through close contact with the infected person.

In early 2022, a series of cases were detected among men who had sex with other men and were stigmatized, and monkeypox was incorrectly labeled as a “homosexual illness.”

According to WHO, the virus can spread to any group of people in close contact.

And now it is unclear whether the virus can be specifically transmitted through sexually transmitted diseases.

How to prevent infection

Protective measures should be taken by anyone who has been in contact with infected people, such as a healthcare professional or healthcare professional, or who has identified a case of monkeypox among friends or relatives.

WHO states that these are the most important steps to prevent infection.

• Avoid skin contact with potentially infected people
• Always use condoms during sex
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water
• Cough and bend your arms and sneeze

How Smallpox Vaccination Protects Monkeypox

Many people over the age of 50 were vaccinated against smallpox (also known as the smallpox virus) as a child. Smallpox has similar symptoms to monkeypox, but is thought to have been eradicated by the vaccine.

According to doctors, vaccination against smallpox prevents monkeypox and is about 85% effective. They say that immunized people are better protected from severe infections, even if it does not prevent infection.

The smallpox vaccine Imvanex is approved in many countries as a preventative drug against monkeypox. However, it is currently not recommended for the prevention of monkeypox in the general population, but only for certain risk groups.

The German Immunization Standing Committee (STIKO) recommends vaccination in these cases.

• For those who have come into contact with infected people
• For men at high risk of monkeypox, such as men who have sex with men, men who frequently change partners, and laboratory staff who test monkeypox specimens.

Vaccination consists of two vaccinations. Health professionals manage them at least every 28 days. For individuals at risk of being vaccinated against smallpox as a child, a single dose is sufficient to improve the existing immune response.

A sick person must isolate himself

People who develop symptoms such as a rash, fever, and pain in the head and joints may develop monkeypox. Affected persons should immediately contact their doctor and local health authorities.

Infected people need to protect themselves from others until the rash has healed. This can take up to 4 weeks. In most cases, the illness has a mild course.