Scientists Warn of International Monkeypox Outbreaks

Public health officials across the world have voiced concern over an outbreak of monkeypox, a rare disease that is related to other viruses.

The cases were identified in the US, Canada, Portugal, the UK, and Spain at the time of writing.

The most recent case of monkeypox in the US is believed to have been brought by a man who recently traveled to Canada.

Health officials are concerned despite the fact that it is not the time to panic.

Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told USA Today that monkeypox doesn't occur globally.

An outbreak like this one is rare and unusual, according to Rimoin, an expert in infectious diseases.

According to the CDC, smallpox was first recorded in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with subsequent cases confirmed in countries across western and central Africa.

There have been other travel-related cases of monkeypox in the US.

There is some good news that it is unlikely that we will see a repeat of the coronaviruses. The virus is not usually fatal. According to the CDC, recovery usually lasts a few weeks, with symptoms including headaches, muscle aches, and exhaustion.

There is a vaccine that has been approved for monkeypox. Antiviral medications have been shown to be effective.

It would likely be difficult to make these treatments accessible.

According to the CDC, the only way to transmit between humans is through respiratory droplets.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, the earliest case in the UK was linked to someone who had traveled to Nigeria.

The agency wrote in a statement that it is possible they acquired the infection through community transmission.

It does seem to be spreading, at least from the information we have so far, through human-to-human contact.

The officials are trying to understand the situation.

Maria Van Kerkhove, an infectious diseases epidemiologist and technical lead on COVID-19 and emerging diseases with the WHO, said during a press conference this week that this highlights the threat of viruses like this.

Monkeypox cases are causing global concern. This is what we know. USA Today

There was an explosion at a Russian facility storing smallpox.