It has not even been a year properly, that the world thought it was done with the worst of covid. Now an outbreak of another devastating virus, monkeypox has got the scientists buried. Recently, UK, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, US, Canada, and Australia have confirmed several cases of Monkeypox.
The biggest concern is that the spread is unusual. Usually, it circulates in Africa, with occasional individual cases linked to travel detected overseas. But recently EU’s Disease Control agency has confirmed that the recent cases in Europe appear to have spread from person to person. For the first time Is occurring without any direct link to Africa.
Monkey Pox: The Massive Outbreak
The ongoing outbreak of monkeypox was confirmed on 6th May 2022. It all began with a British resident who presented as the index case of the UK with a traveling history to Nigeria. He presented consistent symptoms of monkeypox on 29th April 2022. Since then 20 people got the disease in the country. Portugal reported 14 cases of monkeypox, and Spain confirmed 30 cases. Italy has three confirmed cases, Belgium two, and France and Sweden have one confirmed case so far. Canada, Australia, and Germany have also included their names in the list with two confirmed cases each. The US has also confirmed a case while the other possible cases are under observation. Here is the stat.
The U.K. Health Security Agency said that these cases have mostly been among gay or bisexual men.
What Is Monkey Pox?
Monkeypox is a virus that belongs to the same family as Smallpox. The disease is usually rare and less severe. Generally, this is endemic in remote parts of Central and West Africa. Captive monkeys were the first to catch the disease in 1958 whereas the first human case was in 1970.
Since then almost 10 African countries have reported sporadic cases. 2017 experienced the largest documented outbreak, with 172 suspected and 61 confirmed cases. Three-quarters were among males aged 21 to 40 years old.
Cases outside Africa were less common until the recent outbreak. Some previous cases were seen in some countries specifically by international travel and imported animals.
How Do You Catch Monkey Pox?
Monkeypox spreads when someone comes into close contact with another person, animal, or material infected with the virus. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or through the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Respiratory droplets or prolonged face-to-face contact are the sources of person-to-person transmission. animal-to-human transmission meanwhile may occur via a bite or scratch. Monkeypox is not generally considered a sexually transmitted disease, though it can be passed on during sex.
What Are The Symptoms?
Monkeypox starts with the initial symptoms of fever, headaches, muscle ache, swelling, and back pain. After 1-3 days of the course of the disease, a typical rash appears on the face and spread to other parts of the body. The most prone areas are the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
The rash might cause severe itching and goes through several stages before it sloughs off. The infection typically lasts two to four weeks and usually clears up on its own.
The Severity Of Monkeypox Virus
Monkeypox cases have very low risks with a history of occasional deaths in West Africa. “While investigations remain ongoing to determine the source of infection, it is important to emphasize it does not spread easily between people and requires close personal contact with an infected symptomatic person,” Colin Brown, director of clinical and emerging infections at the UKHSA, said Saturday.
Prevention Is The Only Cure In Case Of Monkeypox
Currently, there are no proven, safe treatments for monkeypox. Although most cases are mild, the suspected people who experience consistent symptoms for a certain period should take some preventive measures to ensure the safety of themselves, their families, and the community. The person should be isolated in a negative pressure room which is a space to isolate and monitor a patient regularly by health care professionals using PPE.
Another sigh of relief is the fact that we have very effective vaccines against the virus. Countries including the U.K. and Spain are now offering the vaccine to those who have been exposed to infections to help reduce symptoms and limit the spread.
US President Joe Biden Looks Concerned About The Outbreak
Amid the rising cases of the Monkeypox virus globally, United States President Joe Biden expressed concern about the developing condition. Recently the reporters at Osan Air Base in South Korea asked the president to comment on the recent scenario. “They haven’t told me the level of exposure yet but it is something that everybody should be concerned about,” Biden said adding that work was underway to determine what vaccine might be effective.
Although Joe Biden reassures the Americans by saying that the current monkeypox outbreak is unlikely to cause a pandemic like covid. “I just don’t think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with Covid-19,” he told reporters on Monday in Tokyo at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Biden has also lightened the people up with the information that smallpox vaccines work for monkeypox. On being asked whether the US has enough stockpile of that vaccine to handle the monkey pox spread, Biden said, “I think we do have enough to deal with the likelihood of a problem.”
Why 21st Century Is Experiencing Numerous Outbreaks?
All outbreaks in the 21st centuryThere have been several outbreaks in the 21st century so far. The community has experienced varieties of attacks from less risky to the deadliest microorganisms. August 2001 comes the first on the list with a Cholera outbreak. The second one was played in February 2002. 2003 has experienced severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS covid virus. Dengue fever has been a severe concern in 2003 as well.
after that consequently, Japanese Encephalitis came in 2005, and Avian Influenza in 2006 along with Chikungunya and Dengue. Zika virus in 2017 and Nipah virus in 2018 have taken the breath of the community. And finally, destiny was shaped by the COVID-19. The global pandemic has destroyed the normal flow of lives.
Why is all this? why are we so prone to experience endemic and pandemics consequently? Somehow we are all responsible and we are the reason behind this outcome. in low middle-income countries, poor hygiene including the quality of drinking water and sanitation system has contributed enough to all this. Malnutrition, limited access to medical care, and natural disasters have made it worse. Whereas industrialized countries are the victim of overcrowding, aging of the population, areas of conflict, and high person-to-person contact has made it easier for the viruses. Polygamous nature and sexual history’s contribution is nowhere less.
The take-home message will be: “Awareness is necessary for future generations to survive. So Be aware and keep spreading awareness.”
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