Understanding monkeypox and how you can protect yourself  08^th August 2022

Monkeypox is a health concern registered under the World Health Organization (WHO) radar. And the scale of its transmission and the number of countries that have active Monkeypox cases has led the WHO to declare it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The infections have now spread over to more than forty countries across the globe, and sadly, India is on the list.

While there are different opinions of doctors, scientists, and medical researchers around the world as to whether or not, Monkeypox would take the shape of another pandemic like the Covid-19 virus. It would be foolish of us not to take the infections seriously and be educated about them to ensure that we can stay safe and take all the proper measures if one gets affected.

This blog will help you seek answers to all your queries and shed some light on other related information.

1. What is Monkeypox?
Despite the name having the term “monkey” in it, monkeys are not the original hosts of the Monkeypox virus. The actual hosts are considered to be the species of African rodents such as African squirrels, dormice, etc. Scientists have found that the virus is an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus with around 190 kb of genome size. Monkeypox virus and smallpox virus belong to the same family.
Besides the outbreak in 2022, Monkeypox cases have been discovered in various Central and western African regions and countries. The first human case of Monkeypox infection was found in the year 1970. This disease is usually spread through imported animals or with people who have a history of international travel and came in contact with such animals who are the primary carriers of this virus.

2. What are the symptoms?
Well, the symptoms of an infected person would include muscle and back aches, fever, severe headache, exhaustion, chills, swollen lymph nodes, rashes which might look like ordinary blisters or pimples appearing inside the mouth, on the face, on the legs, hands, feet, genitals and other parts of your body. Monkeypox symptoms are pretty similar to the symptoms of smallpox, but they are milder in comparison.

3. What about its transmissibility?
Monkeypox can spread among people in different ways, which include being in direct contact with scratches, bites, infectious scabs, or using or even coming in touch with the used properties of infected people like bed sheets, clothes, etc. A pregnant person can infect their fetus through the placenta. Other forms of transmissibility include contact with infected animals or their rashes or consuming meat products of the said infected animals.

4. What preventive measures should you take?
You must avoid physical contact with infected people or any rashes that might look like Monkeypox. Ensure you don’t come in contact with their rashes or scabs and do not share their items of use. Wash your hands frequently and use alcohol-based sanitisers, which are medically approved. Ask the infected person to isolate and separate their items and stay away from the pets.

5. Is this disease curable?
Yes, in most cases, the infected person has noticed that the infection lasts for up to 3 to 4 weeks. Monkeypox is curable, and mainly the symptoms subside on their own after a few weeks. Patients can get treatment with antivirals to avoid the risks of viral infections.

6. Is this disease fatal?
There are no such cases of fatality reported due to Monkeypox. This infection is not fatal and is milder than smallpox.

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