What is monkeypox and how does it spread?

What are the symptoms and how is it treated?

Monkeypox belongs to the same family of viruses that cause smallpox, but it causes milder symptoms; Most patients have fever, body aches, chills, and fatigue, and affected people, with a more severe level of the disease, may develop a rash and blisters on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.

The incubation period for the virus (the period between infection and symptoms) that causes these infections is about five days to three weeks, and most people recover within two to four weeks without the need for hospitalization, but monkeypox can be fatal in up to It affects up to 1 in 10 people and is thought to be more severe in children, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems.

The infection stage is divided into two periods as follows:

Invasion period: It ranges from the moment of infection to 5 days, and its most prominent features are fever, severe headache, swollen lymph nodes, back and muscle pain, and severe weakness.

The period of appearance of the rash: It takes place within a period ranging between 1 and 3 days after infection, and one of its most prominent features is the appearance of the rash that begins on the face, most often, and then spreads to other parts of the body, and the rash is most severe on the face ( In 95% of cases) and on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet (75%), the rash develops in about 10 days from flat-based spots to small fluid-filled vesicles, pustules and the next stage of development, and may take up to three weeks to disappear completely.

Before the rash appears, some patients may develop large lymph nodes, a feature of monkeypox that distinguishes it from other similar diseases.

People exposed to the virus are often given one of several vaccines against smallpox, which have also been shown to be effective against monkeypox, and antiviral drugs are being developed, and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control recommended, last Thursday, the isolation of all suspected cases and the introduction of a vaccine Smallpox for high-risk contacts.

Is monkeypox spread through sex?

This is a possibility, but it is not entirely clear at the moment; The spread of monkeypox through sex has not previously been documented, but it can be transmitted through close contact with infected people, exchanging their body fluids and clothes, or rubbing against one bed sheets that bring them together, and Kluge warned that transmission of infection could be enhanced by the fact that “ The cases that are currently detected are among those who engage in sexual activity.” He explained that most of the initial cases detected were among men who had sex with men and were seeking treatment in sexual health clinics, and for its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it is investigating In fact, many of the reported cases were of gay, bisexual, or MSM.

In the same context, Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, said in a statement via a press release that was viewed: “By its nature, sexual activity involves intimate contact, which is expected to increase the possibility of transmission, regardless of sexual orientation. To the person and regardless of the method of transmission”, and Francois Balloux - from University College London - emphasizes that sex is a type of close contact necessary for transmission of the disease, but stresses that the UK cases “do not necessarily mean any recent change in the path of transmission of the virus.”

Reducing the severity of the disease

With the absence of treatment and the absence of a specific vaccine to combat the disease, the only way to reduce infection is to raise awareness of the risk factors associated with it and take measures that can reduce the rate of exposure to it. . Disease education messages should focus on two things:

First - The necessity of avoiding intimate physical contact with those infected with the disease, while wearing hand gloves when caring for the sick, and the necessity of washing hands frequently.

Secondly - Reducing the risk of transmission of the virus from animal-carrying animals to humans, and the necessity of thoroughly cooking all animal products before eating them.