Monkeypox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a pathogen closely related to variola virus, which causes smallpox. Monkeypox and smallpox infections trigger similar symptoms, but monkeypox tends to be far milder by comparison.
Despite the virus's name, monkeys and other nonhuman primates are likely not the pathogen's main hosts, although this still needs to be confirmed, according to the WHO. Rather, rodents are thought to be the natural reservoir for the monkeypox virus in the wild. Although primates, including humans, are susceptible to the virus, they are incidental hosts, meaning they can become infected but don't serve as a constant"reservoir" for the virus.
Then, in 2022, monkeypox began spreading in non-endemic countries at unprecedented levels. The first cases were detected in London in May, and by mid-July, more than 16,000 cases had been reported in 75 countries and territories; the scale of the spread prompted the WHO to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern .
In the 2022 outbreak, however, some patients' symptoms have diverged from the normal pattern. For example, some patients developed flu-like symptoms after their skin rashes or didn't experience flu-like symptoms at all, the CDC reported in June. Some patients initially developed rashes around the genitals and anus, and these skin lesions caused symptoms of painful inflammation and rectal bleeding.
The 2022 outbreak has been driven by the West African clade. As of July 23, when the WHO declared the 2022 outbreak a public health emergency, there were five reported deaths out of more than 16,000 cases, worldwide. The virus can also spread through respiratory droplets — meaning small drops of saliva and mucus — that are expelled from the mouth and come into contact with the mucus membranes of another person, but this route of transmission typically requires"prolonged" face-to-face contact.
How to prevent monkeypox transmissionThe CDC offers the following tips to prevent the spread of monkeypox: People who test positive for monkeypox and don't require hospitalization should isolate at home, and when possible, stay in a separate room or area away from people or pets you live with until your symptoms resolve, as it's possible that humans can spread the virus to certain animals, the CDC says. If around others, infected people should wear a mask to prevent the spread of the virus via respiratory droplets, according to Michigan Health .
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)
We're not calling it mpox
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