Everything you need to know about Monkeypox
Posted By Suborna Fermi
Posted on May 31, 2022
Monkeypox is an infrequent disease, which is comparable to smallpox. The majority of these disease cases have taken place in Africa and also seen in other regions of the world. It is presumed that the virus that causes smallpox is the virus responsible for this pox.
However, no proven treatment for this disease has been discovered yet. Here is the complete information regarding this disease explained for you.
How did this disease get its name?
This disease got its name because it was first encountered in the quarters where monkeys are kept for research, in the year of 1958. Afterwards, in 1970, this disease was detected in humans.
Monkeypox Symptoms:
Early monkeypox symptoms and signs are as similar as normal flu symptoms.
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Chills
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Lesions filled with yellow or clear bodily fluids
After 2 or 3 day of fever, a rash will develop in the face and will spread to the other parts of your body.
How do you get infected?
You might get infected if you come in contact with a person or animal who has been infected with the monkeypox virus.
- Transmission through person to person is really rare. However, it spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You also may get the virus directly, if you touch any wounds of an infected person.
- Transmission through animal to person happens through broken skin, scratches and bites. You also may get the virus directly from the animal’s blood.
- Also, you can get infected if you touch any virus contaminated materials such as clothing.
As you know that this disease spreads via physical contacts, this can also spread due to sexsual contacts. The rashes of this disease can be found in genitals as well as mouth, which can contribute to transmission.
Also, the rashes of this disease might look similar to that of syphilis and herpes rashes. Everyone who is sexually active is at a high risk of getting this disease, not just the men who have sex with other men.
Diagnosing of Monkeypox
To diagnose this, your doctor might take a tissue sample or give blood tests to check the antibodies of this pox.
Monkeypox vaccines
There are several vaccines accessible for smallpox which may give some defense against this pox. But specifically no monkeypox vaccines are formed at this present moment.
Treatment of Monkeypox
No proper treatments for this disease are now feasible. Your doctor will give you medicines to reduce the symptoms you are having. However, the majority number of people get cured on their own after a period of time.
This type of pox can seem very mild, but it is still deadly. Therefore, prevention is much needed for public health. It is important to take some preventive measures against this disease. Such simple steps are given below:
- Avoid exposure to sick or dead animals
- Avoid contact with infected people
- Completely cook food that contains animal meat
- Wash your hands with soap and water if you come in contact with infected animals
However, monkeypox is not very transmittable, as it spreads only with physical contacts with the infected person or animal. According to WHO, there is no evidence that this disease may create an outbreak.
One good thing is that in the last 2 years of covid-19 we have developed better hand hygiene habits, which are extremely helpful in keeping monkeypox at bay. Masking and social distancing also appear to be effective for them.
However, if you suspect that you are having symptoms, or have had close contact with an infected person then do consider consulting with a healthcare expert. They will most likely collect a sample for testing of this disease, to give you proper care.