HEALTH: All You Need To Know About Monkeypox | READ IN FULL
Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
How monkeypox is transmitted:
Transmission of monkeypox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus.
The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).
Eating inadequately cooked meat and other animal products of infected animals is a possible risk factor. People living in or near forested areas may have indirect or low-level exposure to infected animals.
What does monkey pox do to the body?
It typically begins with flu-like illness and swelling of the lymph nodes and progresses to a widespread rash on the face and body.
Natural Hosts of Monkeypox:
Rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, non-human primates and other species.
Symptoms:
In humans, the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion.
The main difference between symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy) while smallpox does not.
The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.
The infection can be divided into two periods:
The invasion period (lasts between 0-5 days) characterized by;
fever, intense headache, lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes), back pain, myalgia (muscle aches) and intense asthenia (lack of energy), Chills, Exhaustion.
Skin eruption usually begins within 1-3 days of appearance of fever.
Treatment:
Currently, there is no proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection. For purposes of controlling a monkeypox outbreak in the United States, smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can be used.
Source: Internet
