Cases of the rare monkeypox virus are popping up in Europe and the United States, suggesting that the disease is spreading locally rather than being spread by travel to countries where the disease is endemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating possible cases in the U.S., including a confirmed case in a man in Massachusetts.
The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting after about 100 cases were confirmed across Europe. The experts don't expect monkeypox to reach the levels of transmission that are associated with a Pandemic, as the virus doesn't spread as easily as the one that causes COVID-19.
Here is what we know about the current outbreak of monkeypox.
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The monkeypox virus causes a disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the virus is related to otherpox, such as vaccinia, variola major and minor.
Monkeypox was first identified in monkey colonies in the 50's and then in a human in the 70's in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Monkeypox has been reported in areas across Central and West Africa, according to the CDC.
According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox resolves on its own over a period of two to four weeks. About 3% to 6% of those who are exposed to the disease die from it, according to the WHO. The risk of death is higher for children younger than 40 years of age.
The current cases of monkeypox seem to be related to the variant that spreads predominantly in West Africa and is less fatal, with a case fatality rate of around 1% in these remote regions.
According to the CDC, monkeypox starts with a cold, but it also causes swollen lysies. A rash that starts on the face and spreads across the body can be developed by one to three days after a high temperature. The rash goes through several stages before it disappears. There are light brown spots on the body. The raised bumps are called papules. The rash turns into a collection of small blisters, which look like small blisters. Finally, these fall off. The disease can take up to four weeks to resolve.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, which means it usually spills over from an animal to humans. According to the WHO, the primary animal hosts are not known, but they could include a number of rodents or primate species. According to the WHO, close contact can occur via skin, respiratory droplets, bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Monkeypox is not as infectious as the virus that causes COVID-19. Scientists are looking at the genome of some of the newer cases of monkeypox to see if there are any changes that could increase transmission.
According to the CDC, doctors may use a number of options to treat the infection, including antiviral drugs and vaccinia immune globulin, which are taken from the pooled blood of people who were immunized with the smallpox vaccine. ring vaccination is a strategy that can be used to prevent transmission of the disease to others. In that system, close contacts of an initial case are protected from onward transmission by getting a vaccine. This strategy led to the eradication of smallpox.
More than 100 cases have been reported around the world, with most of them in Spain, Portugal and the U.K. Cases have been reported in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Australia. According to The Washington Post, many of the cases are in men ages 30 to 55 who have had sex with men.
If you suspect you have monkeypox, contact your health care provider for treatment and contact tracing, particularly if you are in one of the following categories:
You have traveled to areas in Europe with confirmed cases of monkeypox before the symptoms began.
You have had contact with a person with a confirmed or suspected monkeypox.
You are a man who has a lot of intimate contact with other men.
If individuals are sick, they can be sick for two to four weeks. It's important to identify people early, get them treatment and identify contacts, according to a poxviruses epidemiologist at the CDC.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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