What is monkey pox, the strange disease that worries Europe and North America, and how is it spread?

Endemic in West Africa, this viral disease has been identified in recent days in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal. This is what you should know about monkey pox

What is monkeypox? After the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal announced this Wednesday that they have also identified cases of monkey pox, a rare disease in Europe, of which five are confirmed and more than forty suspects. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday that it wants to clarify, with the help of the United Kingdom, the cases detected since the beginning of May, especially among the homosexual community.

Canada was the latest country to report that it is investigating more than a dozen suspected cases of the disease. There is also a confirmed case in the United States and another in Sweden.

What is monkeypox and how dangerous is it?

Endemic in West Africa, this viral disease has also been identified in Portugal in "more than 20 suspected cases (...) in the Lisbon region (west), five of which were confirmed," announced the Portuguese Directorate General for Health. it's a statement.

"The cases, most of them young, all male, had ulcerative lesions," said the health authority.

In the Madrid region, 23 suspected cases were detected that are pending the results of the tests, announced the regional Ministry of Health, raising an initial balance of this Wednesday that was eight suspected cases.

“Due to the characteristics of the 23 suspected cases of infection, it indicates that it has been due to contact with mucous membranes during sexual intercourse,” the ministry reported in a statement.

According to the authorities of both countries, who activated a national health alert, this rare disease is not very contagious among humans, has no treatment, and generally heals itself.

What is monkey pox?

Monkeypox of the genus Orthopoxvirus is a rare disease transmissible through contact with animals or close contact with infected people or contaminated materials.

Where are you from?

According to an article in The Conversation, the disease was discovered in 1958, when two outbreaks of a smallpox-like illness occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research purposes. For this reason, it received the name "monkeypox" or "monkeypox".

The first human case of monkeypox was reported in August 1970 in Bokenda, a remote village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The infected was a 9-month-old boy. A sample sent to the WHO Smallpox Reference Center in Moscow revealed that the symptoms were caused by the monkeypox virus.

The patient's family said they sometimes ate monkeys, although they could not remember if they had eaten monkeys in the last month or if the child had contact with a monkey before developing symptoms. The investigation showed that the boy was the only one in the family who had not been vaccinated against smallpox.

How is it transmitted?

According to the Mexican newspaper El Universal, it can be transmitted through saliva, respiratory excretions, exudate from the lesion, or scab material. Feces, containing viral excretion, also represent a danger.

According to available information, rodents are the natural reservoir of the virus, which can infect squirrels, rats, mice, monkeys, prairie dogs, and humans.

In recent years, Africa has seen a resurgence of monkeypox, which has a fatality rate of between 4% and 22%.

What are your symptoms?

Its symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and fatigue. Skin rashes can also appear, especially on the face, and spread to other parts of the body.

What is the incubation period?

According to The Conversation article, the incubation period for monkey pox is usually 7-14 days, but can be as short as 5 and as long as 21 days. It's normal to develop a rash, which often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, particularly the hands and feet. Before long, the rash changes and goes through different stages before it crusts over and eventually falls off.

The illness usually lasts 2 to 4 weeks.

Is there treatment?

There is currently no specific treatment available to combat monkey pox. The smallpox vaccine is 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, but the disease having been eradicated, it no longer occurs.

Risk factor's

According to the Spanish newspaper ABC, contact with live and dead animals through hunting and the consumption of game meat or wild animals have known risk factors.

The UK has identified seven cases since May 6, including four in people who identify as "gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men," according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

With the exception of the first case - the infected person had recently traveled to Nigeria - the patients were infected in the UK, raising fears of community transmission.