Monkeypox is a viral disease that is transmitted from some wild animals to humans but is limited in spreading at the secondary level from person to person.
But how is monkeypox transmitted, what is the treatment, is there a vaccine for prevention, and what are the ways to prevent and avoid infection.
monkeypox
A rare zoonotic viral disease that occurs primarily in remote areas of central and western Africa near tropical rainforests.
Symptoms of human infection are similar to those witnessed in the past by patients with smallpox, but it is less severe.
There is no treatment or vaccine available to combat the disease, although the previous vaccination against smallpox has proven highly effective in preventing monkeypox.
The monkeypox virus is transmitted to humans by a variety of wild animals, but its secondary spread is limited by human-to-human transmission.
Although smallpox was eradicated in 1980, monkeypox still occurs sporadically in some parts of Africa.
Monkeypox virus belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus of the family Poxviruses.
History of monkeypox
Monkeypox was discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 9-year-old boy who has lived in an area that has been smallpox-free since 1968.
Most of the cases occurred in the rural areas of the Congo Basin rainforests and West Africa, especially the Congo, which had an outbreak in 1996 and 1997.
The disease was reported in the United States in 2003 and it was found that most of the infected people had close contact with domestic prairie dogs.
The disease broke out in Sudan in 2005 and in the world in 2009.
How is monkeypox transmitted?
The infection spreads by direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or wounds of infected animals.
In Africa, cases of infection caused by handling infected monkeys, giant rats, or squirrels have been documented, with rodents, rats, monkeys, and squirrels being the main reservoir of the virus.
Eating undercooked meat from infected animals may be a risk factor for the disease.
Monkeypox is transmitted at the secondary level or from one person to another by dealing with body secretions such as blood, mucus, coughing, or wounds from infected people as well.
The disease is transmitted primarily by respiratory particles transmitted in the form of droplets that usually require long periods of face-to-face contact, spreading the disease among family members.
The disease is also transmitted by vaccination or through the placenta (congenital monkeypox).
Symptoms of monkeypox
The incubation period for monkeypox (the period between infection and the onset of symptoms) ranges from 5-to 21 days.
The stage of infection is divided into two stages:
- Infection period (0-5 days): Symptoms include fever, severe headache, swollen lymph nodes, back and muscle pain, and severe weakness.
- The rash stage (1-3 days after the fever), during which the rash appears beginning on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body such as the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
Symptoms develop as follows:
- The rash worsens in about 10 days from flat bases to fluid-filled vesicles and pustules that take 3 weeks to clear up completely.
- The rash affects the mucous membranes of the mouth, genitals, conjunctiva, and eyeball.
- Some patients develop enlarged lymph nodes before the rash appears, a sign that distinguishes monkeypox from other similar diseases.
Recovery time from monkeypox
Monkeypox disease is self-limited and its symptoms last for a period of 14 to 21 days, and the recovery period depends on the extent of exposure to the virus, the health status of the patient, and the severity of complications resulting from it.
Diagnosis
Other diseases that cause a rash such as chicken pox, chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, syphilis, and drug allergy should be excluded.
Enlarged lymph nodes during the onset of the disease are a clinical feature that distinguishes monkeypox from smallpox.
Monkeypox can only be definitively diagnosed in the laboratory by:
- Enzyme immunoassay
- Antibody detection test
- polymerase chain reaction
- Virus isolation by cell culture
Treatment and vaccine for monkeypox virus
There are no drugs or vaccines available to combat monkeypox infection, but its spread can be controlled.
Smallpox vaccination is 85% effective in preventing monkeypox but is not available to the public after it was withdrawn after smallpox was eradicated from the world.
How to prevent monkeypox
The spread of monkeypox should be prevented by:
- Restrictions on the animal trade
- Restricting or banning the transfer of African small mammals and monkeys will effectively contribute to slowing the spread of the virus out of Africa.
- Do not feed smallpox-contained animals and immediately put them under quarantine.
- Quarantine all animals that may come into contact with other infected animals and observe within 30 days for symptoms.
- Avoid close physical contact with people with monkeypox infection.
- Educate people about measures they can take to reduce exposure.
- Take surveillance measures and expedite the diagnosis of new cases.
In the end; We have done our best to ensure that all of the above information on monkeypox is medically correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date. However, it does not replace the advice of a doctor or pharmacist.