DR MAXWELL ADEYEMI
As the world tries to gradually ease all health restrictions after almost three years into the covid19 pandemic, we are slowly witnessing the emergence of another potential disruptive phenomenon called monkeypox.
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a member of the orthopoxvirus family and is similar to the virus that causes smallpox. It causes rash and flu-like symptoms.
Monkeypox is spread mainly through human contact with infected rodents, but can sometimes be spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. There are two known types of monkeypox virus - one that originated in Central Africa and one that originated in West Africa. The current world outbreak is caused by the less severe West African clade - a natural group of organisms that are made up of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants.
Monkeypox is rare, but the number of cases is increasing in Africa, as well as in Europe, a region that has never seen these infections before.
As international travel becomes more common, viruses that were once fairly confined to certain locations can more easily spread around the world.
Anyone can get monkeypox, but most cases are among children under 15 years old. Outside of Africa, the disease appears to be more common in men who have sex with men, but there are numerous cases in people who don't fall into that category.
Symptoms and causes
Monkeypox causes pus-filled blisters that crust over and fall off. After exposure, it may be several days to a few weeks before you develop symptoms. Early signs of monkeypox include flu-like symptoms like fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. After a few days a rash develops. The rash starts as flat, red, bumps which can be painful. These turn into blisters which fill with pus. Eventually, the blisters crust over and fall off - the whole process can last two to four weeks. It can also cause sores in the mouth, vagina or anus.
Not everyone with monkeypox develops all of the symptoms. Atypical presentation includes only a few lesions, no swollen lymph nodes, less fever and other signs of illness. One can have it and not know it. But even if you don't show many signs of infection, you can spread still spread it to others through prolonged close contact.
How it is spread
Monkeypox is spread through contact with an animal or a person infected with the virus. Animal-to-person transmission occurs through broken skin, like bites or scratches, or through direct contact with an infected animal's blood, bodily fluids or sores.
Person-to-person transmission is less common and occurs through contact with the sores, scabs, respiratory droplets or oral fluids of an infected person, usually through close, intimate situations like cuddling, kissing or sexual intercourse. It can also be contracted through contact with recently contaminated materials like clothing, bedding and other linens used by an infected person or animal.
Diagnosis
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