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What is monkeypox?

2024-08-16 16:14:35, Shëndeti CNA

What is monkeypox?

The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox, widespread in Congo and other African countries, a global public health emergency.

Monkey pox is usually a mild disease, but it can cause redness and inflammation on the face and hands, spreading to other parts of the body, and in some cases can be fatal.

Inside a medical center in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, medical teams are trying to identify monkeypox patients as the number of infected patients in the city continues to rise.

On Wednesday the World Health Organization declared monkeypox, which has spread to Congo and other African countries, a global public health emergency. The decision came after confirmation that children and adults in more than 13 countries have been affected by monkeypox, while a new variant of the viral infection has spread.

“Monkey pox has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than a decade and the number of cases reported each year has gradually increased over this period. Last year a significant increase in cases was reported and currently the number of cases so far is higher than the total number of cases last year, with more than 14,000 affected and 524 dead," said the director general of World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghenreyesus.

Earlier this year, scientists announced the emergence of a new variant of monkeypox in a mining town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which can kill up to 10 percent of those infected and spreads more quickly. .

Monkey pox is mainly spread through close contact with infected persons, including intimate relationships.

Unlike previous cases of monkeypox outbreaks, where inflammation appeared mainly on the chest, hands and feet, the new variant has milder symptoms and causes inflammation in the genitals. This makes it more difficult to identify the virus, which means that people can spread the disease to others without knowing they are infected.

"It is very important to have more data on the disease in the countries where it has spread and the countries that are at risk. We need to better understand how the disease is transmitted, which group is most at risk and how the virus develops. If we understand the disease better, then we will be able to use the limited number of vaccines we have available effectively and in a specific group", says Maria Van Kerkhove, director of the department for the prevention of epidemics and pandemics at WHO.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox was first identified by scientists in 1958 when a smallpox-like infection broke out in monkeys. Until recently, human cases of this viral infection were recorded in the central and western part of Africa, where the population had more contact with affected animals.

In 2022, the spread of the virus through intimate relationships was confirmed for the first time, and the virus spread to more than 70 countries around the world that had not previously reported the presence of the disease.

Monkeypox belongs to the same category of viruses as smallpox, but causes milder symptoms, such as fever, chills, and body aches. More severely affected people may have redness or swelling on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

"It is a viral disease that is very common in central and western Africa and spreads mainly in rodents. And occasionally it affects other animals such as monkeys and also affects humans ," explains Jorge Osorio, Director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

Despite the name "monkey pox", it is likely that rodents, not monkeys, cause the disease.

The first case identified in a human with monkeypox dates back to 1970. The infected was a young boy from a remote area of ??the Congo.

How serious is monkeypox for humans?

The World Health Organization estimates that the disease can be fatal for one in 10 people.

What are the symptoms?

Most patients with monkeypox only have fever, body aches, chills, and fatigue.

Less commonly, those affected may have redness or swelling on the face and hands, which may spread to other parts of the body.

Most people recover within two to four weeks without needing to be hospitalized. Monkey pox can be fatal for some affected and is thought to be more severe in children.

Speaking in 2022, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, the public health officer in Sacramento County, California, explained that a patient can spread the infection until all the inflammation has healed.

" A person is considered infected from the onset of symptoms until the rashes have crusted over and the scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed. The spread of the disease occurs primarily through saliva, rashes, or clothing or bedding. contaminated beds," she said.

How is it treated?

There are two licensed monkeypox vaccines in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Europe. There are also at least two antiviral drugs licensed for use by people with severe disease.

What do we know about the latest monkeypox outbreak?

The Africa Center for Disease Prevention and Control said that this year monkeypox has been identified in 13 countries and that 96 percent of all cases and deaths have been recorded in Congo. Compared to last year, the number of affected has increased by 160 percent and the number of deaths by 19 percent.

So far, 14,000 cases have been identified and 524 people have died.

The director of the Emergency Committee against monkey pox said that cases have been reported in countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya, countries which had not been affected before./ VOA