Monkeypox is believed to be a rare viral zoonosis.
Zoonoses, on the other hand, are animal diseases that are transmissible to humans. Thus making Monkeypox a transmitted disease.
The
disease which is said to be caused by monkey virus was first recorded
in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1970, during a period of an
intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.
It
would break out in Nigeria for the third time in September 2017, with
thirty-one suspected cases reported across seven states; as it was first
experienced in 1971 and 1978 respectively.
However,
the outbreak of the disease which occurred in September seems to have
been curtailed to some extent. New cases are not being reported like
before and tension has obviously subsided.
But
this doesn't go to say that the disease has been eliminated. It's a
virus, and there's every possibility of another outbreak.
Be that as it may, here are some certain things we've decided to let you know about Monkeypox.
1. The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox in human beings.
2. Monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion.
3.
The main difference between symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that
monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy) while smallpox
does not.
4. The incubation period (time
from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually seven to fourteen
days but can range from five to twenty-one days.
5.
Patients are expected to develop a rash within one to three days
(sometimes longer) after the appearance of fever; where the various
stages of the rash appear, often beginning on the face and then
spreading elsewhere on the body.
6. The
face (in 95% of cases), and palms of the hands and soles of the feet
(75%) are most affected. Evolution of the rash from maculopapules
(lesions with flat bases) to vesicles (small fluid-filled blisters),
pustules, followed by crusts occurs in approximately ten days.
7.
Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with infected
respiratory tract secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or
objects recently contaminated by patient fluids or lesion materials.
8. The disease can be transmitted from human to human through physical touch, contact with stool, and blood contact.
9. According to statistics, ten percent of those who contract Monkeypox died as a result of the disease.
10. It is believed that children are more susceptible to the infection.
11.
The number of the lesions varies from a few to several thousand,
affecting oral mucous membranes (in 70% of cases), genitalia (30%), and
conjunctivae (eyelid) (20%), as well as the cornea (eyeball).
Medical reports have it that, lesions progress through the following stages before falling off:
- Macules
- Papules
- Vesicles
- Pustules
- Scabs
12.
Although there is presently no known or proven, safe treatment for the
disease, vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85%
effective in preventing monkeypox.
However,
the vaccine is no longer available to the public after it was
discontinued following global smallpox eradication in 1980.
ALSO READ: 5 unbelievable sicknesses you can get from your pet
What you probably didn't know about this disease
Reviewed by Martbiz.blospot.com
on
December 06, 2017
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