European and American health officials have detected cases of monkeypox virus in recent days. Most cases were identified in young men. It was surprising that the disease caused by the virus, which is rarely seen outside of Africa, also appeared in Europe and the USA.
Health authorities around the world are watching carefully to see if more cases will emerge. This is because the disease is spreading among people who have not traveled to Africa for the first time. However, experts underline that the risk of the disease is low for the general population.
What is monkey flower?
Monkeypox is a virus that occurs in wild animals such as rodents and primates, and can sometimes be transmitted to humans. The disease occurs in humans mostly in Central and West Africa, where the virus is endemic.
The disease caused by monkeypox was first described by experts in 1958. At that time, two smallpox-like outbreaks had occurred among the monkeys used in the experiments. That’s why the disease was named monkeypox. The first human case of monkeypox was in a 9-year-old boy in a remote area of Congo in 1970.
What are the symptoms of the disease, how is the treatment?
Although monkeypox is in the same family as the virus that causes smallpox, its symptoms are milder.
Most patients only complain of fever, body aches, chills, and fatigue. Those who have more severe disease may develop rashes and lesions on the face and hands, and these may spread to other parts of the body.
The incubation period can last from five days to three weeks. Most patients recover within two to four weeks without the need for hospital treatment.
Monkey pox, which can cause 10% of death, can have a more severe course in children.
People who have been exposed to the virus are usually vaccinated against smallpox. Smallpox vaccine appears to be effective against monkeypox as well. Antiviral drugs are being developed against the disease.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, in a statement yesterday, recommended that all suspected cases be isolated and that smallpox vaccinations be given to high-risk contacts.
What is the average number of cases per year?
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that thousands of monkeypox infections occur in more than 10 African countries each year. Most of these cases occur in Congo and Nigeria. There are 6,000 cases per year in Congo and 3,000 cases per year in Nigeria.
Experts say that a large number of cases go unreported due to unregulated health screening systems.
Individual cases are occasionally encountered outside of Africa in the United States and England. However, cases of monkeypox are usually due to travel to Africa or close contact with animals in areas where the disease is common.
In 2003, there were 47 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox in six states in the United States. It was determined that these people had contracted the virus from prairie dogs, a domestic rodent species that was housed in close proximity to small mammals imported from Ghana.
Why are recent cases different?
Cases of monkeypox have been observed to spread among people who have not traveled to Africa for the first time. Most cases are seen in men who have had homosexual relationships.
In Europe, cases of monkeypox have been reported in England, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
The UK Health Safety Agency reported that not all cases are linked, meaning that there are several different chains of transmission. Cases in Portugal were detected in health clinics where patients applied for wounds on their genitals.
In the US, on May 18, authorities detected a case of monkeypox in a man who had recently traveled to Canada. The Canadian Department of Public Health also confirmed two cases linked to this positive case in the United States. Health officials in Canada’s province of Quebec had recorded 17 suspected cases in Montreal.
Is the virus transmitted through sexual intercourse?
This possibility exists, but is not yet clear. There are no previous recorded cases of monkeypox being sexually transmitted. However, the virus can be spread by close contact with infected people, through bodily fluids and by contact with items such as clothes, quilts or sheets contaminated with these fluids.
Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial University in London, says it’s still early to determine how men in England are infected with monkeypox.
“Sexual intercourse, by its very nature, requires close contact. This increases the likelihood of transmission, regardless of the person’s sexual orientation, regardless of the route of transmission,” says Skinner.
François Balloux, of the University of London Academy, also believes that sexual intercourse provides the close contact necessary to transmit monkeypox. Balloux said the UK cases “do not mean that there has been any recent change in the virus”.