What is monkeypox and what are the symptoms?
MONKEYPOX is a rare disease with most cases found in Africa.
Some common symptoms are fever, headaches and muscle aches and while it is a mild illness which gets better with time, in some cases serious symptoms may arise, and in very rare cases it can also cause death.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a viral infectious disease.
This particular virus is a rare zoonosis, this means that it is transmitted to humans from an animal.
It primarily occurs in remote parts of central and west Africa, near tropical rain forests.
It spreads between humans only through close contact.
What are the monkeypox symptoms?
Initial symptoms include:
- fever
- headache
- muscle aches
- backache
- swollen lymph nodes
- chills
- exhaustion
A painful rash and open sores can then develop, usually starting on the face.
If the rash spreads to the eyes it can cause blindness.
Symptoms generally last from 14 to 21 days, with severe cases relating to age, the extent of virus exposure, the patient’s health and the severity of complications.
Is monkeypox in the UK?
On May 7, 2022, a case of Monkeypox case was confirmed to arrive from Nigeria by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The patient was treated at Guy’s Hospital in London and the UKHSA scrambled to get through to those who might have been in close contact with the infected person.
These include those who travelled “in close proximity” to the patient, on their flight to the UK.
The Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at the UKHSA, Dr Colin Brown said: “It is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is very low.
“We are working with the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) to contact the individuals who have had close contact with the case prior to confirmation of the infection, to assess them as necessary and provide advice.
“UKHSA and the NHS have well established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with the cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed.”
Following that initial case, six more were reported – with no links to travel.
Doctors and the public were warned to keep an eye out for unexplained rashes.
Monkeypox has been seen just six other times in the past in the UK, with cases dating back to 2018 and always in travellers from other countries.
However an NHS nurse once caught the virus in 2018 while changing the bedsheets of a patient in hospital, blaming “pathetically small” protective gloves.
Another case was seen in South West England in December 2019 in someone who had visited Nigeria.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced there had been an outbreak of the monkeypox virus in June 2021, although few details were given.
How can you catch monkeypox?
Infection usually occurs after direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids or skin lesions of an infected animal.
In Africa, human infections have been documented through the handling of infected monkeys, Gambian giant rats and squirrels.
Eating the inadequately cooked meat of an infected animal is a risk.
Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with the skin lesions of an infected person, or objects recently contaminated by the patient.
This generally requires prolonged face-to-face contact, putting loved ones at greater risk.
Transmission can also occur via the placenta, known as congenital monkeypox.
Is monkeypox deadly?
According to WHO, the monkeypox virus is similar to human smallpox.
Although monkeypox is much milder than smallpox, it can be fatal.
It has a mortality rate of between one and 10 per cent, with most deaths occurring in younger age groups.
How to treat monkeypox
There are no specific treatments or vaccines available, but outbreaks can be controlled.
Vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85 per cent effective in preventing monkeypox.
However, the vaccine is no longer available to the general public, as it was discontinued after global smallpox eradication.