Mapping the Monkeypox spread

The World Health Assembly (WHO) predicts that as surveillance in regions where monkeypox has yet to be recognized expands, more cases of the illness will be discovered.

At least ten ( 10 lab setting cases and 28 confirmed cases of monkeypox were submitted to the WHO between May 13 and May over 20 from 12 countries where the virus is not prevalent. One instance is considered an epidemic in non-endemic countries.

Since its discovery in 1970, eleven nations have reported instances of monkeypox: Cameroon, Benin, the Central African Republic, the Congo Democratic Republic , Ivory Coast, Gabon, Nigeria, Liberia, the Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Sierra Leone.

Five more countries have confirmed cases by May 23, increasing the total number of countries reporting outbreaks this year to 17.

To yet, no deaths have been reported in those nations as a result of the current outbreak.

So far this year, the following nations have reported new confirmed cases of monkeypox:

13th – 21st of May

Australia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France,  the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the U.k, and the U.S. are among the countries represented.

22nd – 23rd of May

Austria, Denmark, Israel, Scotland, and Switzerland are among the countries represented.

The health ministry of Argentina announced it has discovered a potential scenario of monkeypox near Buenos Aires, but also that testing were still being conducted. There were no verified instances of monkeypox across Latin America to far.

What really is monkeypox and how does it affect you?

Monkeypox is a virus that creates a rough rash as well as a fever. It is most commonly transmitted to humans by wild animals, but it can also be transmitted by humans.

Human monkeypox was first discovered in people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. It's termed monkeypox as it was initially discovered in 1958 in monkey colonies held for research.

The virus is especially frequent in Central and West Africa's rural areas.

Monkeypox symptoms, according the Department Of Health (WHO), often include:

• fever a severe headache
• muscular pains
• back ache
• low power consumption
• lymph nodes swollen

The rash usually starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the bottoms of legs and palm of hands. They also appear on the lips, genitals, and eyes.

• lesions or a rash

Symptoms normally last 2 to 4 weeks, with the majority of people resolving without therapy. Monkeypox can cause serious illness and death in newborns, children, and adults with preexisting immune weaknesses.

Monkeypox has a case fatality rate that has traditionally fluctuated from 0% to 11% in the general population, with a greater rate among small children. In recent years, the case mortality ratio has hovered at 3 to 6%.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox and how does it spread?

Monkeypox is transferred to humans by getting into close contact with infected or animal, or by encountering contaminated material.

Close physical contact, especially sexual contact, can spread monkeypox through one person to another.

Particularly infectious are the rash, body secretions, and scabs. Clothing, bedding, towels, and objects such as dining spoons that were infected with the virus as a result of contact with the infected individual can infect others.

Infectious ulcers, lesions, and ulcers in the lips can also transfer the virus through saliva. People who have close contact with an infectious person, such as health care providers, household members, and sexual partners, are more likely to become infected.

Through skin-to-skin contact, the virus can pass from a pregnant woman to her fetus, or by an infected parent to a kid during or after birth.

It's unclear whether infected persons who haven't shown symptoms yet can spread the sickness.

Treatment for monkeypox

Monkeypox symptoms usually go away under their own without any need for treatment.

Infected people should treat their rash or sores by allowing them to dry out if feasible or wrapping them with a sheet to protect the region. People who are infected and those who are not should avoid putting any sores.

As long as anti-inflammatory products are avoided, mouth washes and decongestants can be utilized. In severe situations, vaccine immunological globin (VIG) may be prescribed. Monkeypox can also be treated with an antiviral called tecovirimat, or TPOXX.

Monkeypox will be in the same group as smallpox, but it produces a less dangerous infection.

Those who have been inoculated against pox are likely to be immune to monkeypox infection. Younger people, on the other hand, are unlikely to have been inoculated against smallpox because the contagious disease was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.

There are various vaccines available to prevent smallpox, and some of them also protect against monkeypox.

MVA-BN, also called as Imvamune, Imvanex, or Jynneos, was licensed for treatment against smallpox in 2019, however it is still not widely available.