Recent cases of monkeypox have been reported in eight regions: Australia, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Although the outbreak is currently small, it has caused concern because monkey flower, a viral disease that causes fever and rash, does not commonly spread around the world. But the virus appears to be spreading to many new societies, occurring when an infected person has close contact with others.
“I expect that we will continue to identify more cases in the coming weeks, but I do not expect to see an exponential growth in the number of these cases.” Dr. Riccardo MartinelloAn infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine and an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics told HuffPost.
What is a monkey flower?
Monkeypox is a viral DNA disease that causes fever and a strange rash. It can also cause headaches, body aches, inflammation of the lymph nodes, and fatigue. Zoonotic Disease has been around for decades and, more importantly, got its name because it was first identified in monkeys in 1958 during its spread.
It is mainly transmitted from infected animals to humans. People can spread it through many different forms of close contact, mainly through blood droplets and respiration.
“It’s definitely not as contagious as COVID or the flu,” Martinello said.
Over the years, there have been various cases of monkey bloom in the United States and other parts of the world. But usually it does not go beyond the endemic areas of Africa Dr. Amesh Adalja Infectious Disease Specialist at Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Safety.
Chickenpox is part of the same viral family as the chickenpox vaccine, and chickenpox is incredibly effective at preventing the disease and minimizing symptoms. Evidence suggests that the vaccine is still available 85% effective Avoiding monkey flowers.
Chickenpox in monkeys has a long incubation period, about 12 days. Her mortality is estimated to be between 1% and 10%, but Adalja believes the actual death rate may be lower, depending on where the cases occur. “Monkeypox is usually a non-fatal disease like chickenpox,” Adalja said.
Treatment for monkeypox usually involves supportive care. Most cases are mild and self-limiting. There are antiviral drugs specifically designed to treat chickenpox, but they are usually safe for more severe cases, Adalja says.
What does the current monkey epidemic have to do with this?
The monkey flower is endemic to Africa and across Africa, and cases are not uncommon. In 2021, United States Two cases of chickenpox have been reported in people just out of Nigeria. There was also an epidemic in the United States In 2003Where animals spread disease to humans. Not at all Moving Of the 47 reported cases – in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin – only three were serious.
Some monkey flower outbreaks last about a year, but these are not fast-growing burst outbreaks, as we saw according to COVID-19, according to Martinello.
“People know there are monkey flowers in their community,” he said. “When people get sick, they isolate themselves from other people and that helps end this show.”
What is strange about the current epidemic is how the monkey flower spreads. Outbreaks appear to be worsening during this period, but are limited to certain countries.
“The clusters we see today, in many countries, are not related to travel,” Adalja said. “Diffusion is beyond travel and beyond animal display. These are the common routes where we see examples.
It’s not clear how monkeypox was able to jump in some regions, but experts suggest that once it gets there, the migration may have occurred due to saliva, secretion of breath, and exchange of body fluids. According to The Atlantic, the first case found in the UK coincides with a traditional pattern of travel -related illness. However, other cases in other regions have nothing to do with travel or contact with someone who has had the disease.
Epidemiologists will continue to investigate whether there is a strange way monkeys spread, whether it is spread only through close interaction through the social networks where it hits.
People don’t have to rush to get the chickenpox vaccine right now, Adalja says. The vaccine is only made for people who have had close contact with an infected person, ideally for four days to prevent illness and for 14 days to reduce symptoms. If this epidemic were to break out in an unprecedented way, the government would have a stock of chickenpox vaccines that could be used, Martinello said, but he and Adalja don’t currently hope it will be needed.
When a monkey outbreak occurs, the usual approach is to isolate infected individuals and vaccinate anyone around them who has come into contact with an infected person. Epidemiologists use this technique “Vaccination seal” And this is known as an effective way to stop epidemics before they start.
“Monkeypox is a very different virus from COVID-19,” Adalja said. “It has no potential for a pandemic and we have countermeasures like the chickenpox vaccine that can stop epidemics.”
Source: Huffpost
I’m Liza Grey, an experienced news writer and author at the Buna Times. I specialize in writing about economic issues, with a focus on uncovering stories that have a positive impact on society. With over seven years of experience in the news industry, I am highly knowledgeable about current events and the ways in which they affect our daily lives.