Here's What You Need to Know About 'Monkeypox' Virus
Just as the name goes 'monkey pox' first originated from the monkey laboratory. The disease has been seen to make headlines lately and individuals should be on high alert for its existence within the world.
Leah Mukangai 
The disease mostly occurs in western and central Africa.
Monkeypox symptoms are similar to but milder than smallpox symptoms.
Monkeypox origin
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 after two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name "monkeypox." The first human case of monkeypox was discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) in 1970, during a period of increased effort to eradicate smallpox.
A monkey's hand infected with monkeypox. PHOTO FILE
Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox virus infection. It is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family.
Monkeypox transmission
People can be exposed to monkeypox in parts of central and West Africa through bites or scratches from rodents and small mammals, preparing wild game, or having contact with an infected animal or possibly animal products.
The virus is not easily transmitted between people; the transmission can occur through contact with body fluids, monkeypox sores, items contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or respiratory droplets after prolonged face-to-face contact.
Monkeypox symptoms
According to experts, the following are the symptoms experienced when lone is infected with monkeypox:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering
- Exhaustion
- A rash that appears one to five days after the onset of these symptoms.
Skin rash. PHOTO FILE
The rash is sometimes mistaken for chickenpox because it begins as raised spots that develop into small scabs filled with fluid. The symptoms usually go away in two to four weeks, and the scabs fall off.
Monkeypox cure
There is no proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection at the moment. Smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can be used to control a monkeypox outbreak.
Laboratory testing. PHOTO FILE
Monkeypox virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).
Monkeypox usually starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, but it can start anywhere on the body. Before the bumps become crusty, scab over, and fall off, they go through several stages.
According to reports, World Health Organization (WHO) received notification of a confirmed case of monkeypox in a person who traveled from the United Kingdom to Nigeria and then returned to the United Kingdom.
Recently, Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program's emerging diseases and zoonoses unit, has confirmed that Spain has now confirmed some cases, and other countries will join this list.
“We have had positive cases identified in the U.K., Portugal, and Spain. And we expect there will be others,” Van Kerkhove stated.
The illness usually lasts 2-4 weeks. In Africa, monkeypox has been shown to kill up to one in every ten people who contract the disease.
