While the current The monkeypox outbreak will be the first time many have heard of the disease, the virus is believed to have been infecting people for centuries, possibly even millennia. A member of the same virus family as chickenpox and smallpox, the first documented cases of chickenpox were in 1958, when there were two outbreaks in colonies of laboratory monkeys preserved for research. hence the name.
This, however, is a bit inappropriate. The virus is usually carried by rodents such as squirrels, bagged rats and dormice, among others. The cases usually occur near the rainforests of Central and West Africa, where the virus is endemic. From the 1980s to 2010, cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) multiplied by more than 14, and by 2020 alone there were about 4,600 suspected cases of monkeypox in the DRC. There have also been more than 550 suspected cases in Nigeria since 2017. Given these figures and how interconnected the world is thanks to air travel, the current global outbreak is not really surprising.
But while cases have been on the rise, the risk of smallpox in the general population is low. If you think you have the virus or have come in contact with someone, keep calm. You probably won’t need any treatment, but you should do your best to prevent the virus from spreading.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Monkeypox infections occur in two different stages. Initially, people develop flu-like symptoms, such as exhaustion, fever, body aches, chills, and headaches as the virus enters their cells, followed by enlarged lymph nodes as their immune system adapts to fight infection.
The second stage is the development of “smallpox”, a nasty rash that usually begins on the face before spreading to the arms, legs, hands, feet and torso. Some of the patients in the latest outbreak have reported a rash around the genital area.
Doctors warn that you should not assume that you have monkeypox just because you have a rash. This can also happen with diseases such as chickenpox and scabies, while genital rashes can also be a sign of sexually transmitted infections such as herpes. The rash of smallpox is quite different: rashes that start flat and red, before it starts to blister and fill with white pus. These are then dried in crusts, which are eventually cured and dropped. Although it is unpleasant, the disease is usually not too severe and resolves in two to four weeks.
How does someone catch smallpox?
Monkeypox usually affects people who have come in contact with infected animals, usually rodents that are able to catch the virus. People get the virus by biting or scratching or, in some cases, eating undercooked meat.
Despite the recent increase in cases, it is not uncommon for someone to catch the virus and transmit it. Prolonged close contact is needed for someone to pass it on to another person. Specifically, there are three known ways in which monkeypox can be transmitted: direct contact with the pus of sores, handling the clothing of an infected person (or perhaps sharing a towel), or inhaling respiratory drops. . In the current outbreak, sexual contact appears to have provided a route of transmission, most likely through skin-to-skin contact.
The rate of infection is much lower than that of Covid-19 or many common respiratory viruses, so outbreaks usually end quite quickly. An example of this was in 2003, when the monkey’s smallpox arrived in the United States after infected animals were sent from Ghana to Illinois. The virus spread to dogs in meadows sold as pets in several Midwestern states and 47 people became infected. But no one passed it on to anyone else, and the outbreak ended shortly after it began.
