The following essay is available for re-publication in The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a single case of monkeypox in a patient who had recently traveled to Canada. The United Kingdom and Europe have also had cases reported.
Monkeypox is not a new disease. The first confirmed human case of the disease was in 1970 when the virus was isolated from a child suspected of having the disease. Fear of another major outbreak is understandable, even though Monkeypox is unlikely to cause another outbreak. Though rare and usually mild, monkeypox can cause severe illness. Increased travel will cause more cases to arise.
I have worked in public health and medical laboratories for over three decades and have worked in diseases with animal origins. What is happening in the current outbreak of monkeypox, and what do we know about it?
The monkeypox virus is a subset of the Poxviridae family of viruses. The subset includes the cowpox viruses. African rodents are thought to play a part in the transmission of monkeypox. The monkeypox virus has only been isolated from animals before. Diagnostic testing for monkeypox is only available in the U.S. and globally.
The name monkeypox came from the first documented cases of the illness in animals in 1958, when two outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research. The monkeys are not major carriers of the disease and the virus did not jump from them to humans.
Since the first reported human case, monkeypox has been found in several other central and western African countries, with the majority of infections in the DR. Cases outside of Africa have been linked to international travel and imported animals.
The first cases of monkeypox in the US were reported in 2003 in Texas. In Maryland there were travel-associated cases in November and July of 2021.
The smallpox vaccine can provide protection against both monkeypox and smallpox. The U.S. general population stopped getting routine smallpox vaccinations in 1972. Monkeypox has been showing up in unvaccinated people.
The virus can be spread through contact with an animal or contaminated surface. The virus enters the body through broken skin, inhalation, or the eyes, nose, or mouth. Human-to-human transmission can be done through inhalation of large respiratory droplets, rather than direct contact with bodily fluids, according to researchers. Monkeypox transmission rates have been limited.
Health officials are concerned that the virus may be spreading undetected through community transmission. Infections are still being investigated.
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After the body is bitten by the virus, it starts to spread through the bloodstream. Symptoms usually don't show up until a couple of weeks after the event.
The symptoms of monkeypox are milder than those of smallpox. Flu-like symptoms include a high temperature, headaches, and a lack of breath. One to 10 days later, a rash can appear on the head or torso, which can turn into blisters. Symptoms usually last for two to four weeks, while skin diseases usually go away in 14 to 21 days.
One version of the disease kills around 10% of people. The fatality rate of the current form of the virus is thought to be less than 1%.
The treatment for monkeypox is to relieve symptoms. There is no cure for monkeypox, according to the CDC.
Evidence shows that the vaccine can help prevent monkeypox infections. Imvamune or Imvanex is a vaccine licensed in the US to prevent monkeypox.
Vaccination may help decrease the chances of severe illness. The CDC recommends that only people who have been exposed to monkeypox be given the vaccine. People with compromised immune systems are at high risk.
The Conversation published this article. The original article is worth a read.
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