Some European countries, such as the United Kingdom and Portugal, have presented cases of monkey pox and recently Spain has launched a health alert to the autonomous communities after the detection of eight possible cases of this disease in Madrid.
What is monkeypox? It is a rare disease that belongs to the smallpox family (Orthopoxvirus), despite the name, non-human primates are not the reservoir and this would be found in small rodents such as squirrels that live in tropical areas of Africa and the central part of that continent.
The disease used to appear sporadically in Africa and cause endemic outbreaks; since 2016, confirmed cases have also been reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria
As a general rule, the monkeypox usually occurs as a self-limiting disease and most people with it make a full recovery. Children and immunocompromised people are more vulnerable than adults with healthy immune systems.
There are two known strains of the virus: the Congo Basin and West Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) puts the case fatality rate of the Congo Basin lineage at around 1% and warns that the West African lineage may reach a case fatality rate of 10%.
How monkeypox is transmitted
This disease is transmitted between humans after contact or exposure to droplets of body fluids such as saliva or respiratory excretions, in addition to contact with the exudate of an injury or scab.
Incubation is usually 6 to 13 days, but can range from 5 to 21 days. This disease has no specific treatment and the symptoms usually disappear or are reduced within 14 or 21 days.
Symptoms of this disease are often similar to those of smallpox, including fever, headache, muscle aches, and back pain. Symptoms are usually milder than those of smallpox.
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A rash also often develops on the skin, usually starting on the face and spreading to other parts of the body, especially the hands or feet.
Clinical differentiation between monkeypox, smallpox, and chickenpox (a herpesvirus, not a poxvirus) can be difficult. Diagnosis of monkeypox is made by culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry, or electron microscopy, depending on the available tests.
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