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Monkeypox is now widespread worldwide, with more than 80 confirmed cases in 12 different countries.
The tropical virus infection is known to spread through close contact, but now health authorities are trying to figure out if it also spreads through sexual networks.
There are believed to be two types of monkeypox, West African and Central African tribes. Those recently diagnosed in the UK are believed to have the milder West African variant.
The virus takes its name from crab-eating laboratory macaque monkeys observed in 1958 to have contracted smallpox. Then, 12 years later, in 1970, the first human case of monkeypox was detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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According to the World Health Organization, the mortality rate of the milder strain that has spread worldwide is around 3-6%. This is compared to the more serious strain, which is known to have a 10% mortality rate.
Skin lesions are a telltale sign of monkeypox (Image: via REUTERS)
Monkeypox is usually transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal. This may include eating the meat and/or touching the fur or skin of an animal wearing it.
The name of the virus is somewhat misleading as monkeys are not the primary vectors; instead they are rodents. This is evident in the 2003 US outbreak, which was traced to imported rodents from Ghana.
Can you cure monkeypox?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no cure for monkeypox, but it can be treated.
Treatment for the infection includes the smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immunoglobulin — made from the pooled blood of people who have been vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine.
Monkeypox patients are usually hospitalized or isolated to avoid spread (Image: via REUTERS)
Patients who get monkeypox and are treated usually recover within two to four weeks.
Those infected must isolate themselves and are often hospitalized so medical officials can monitor symptoms and stop the spread of the virus.
Monkeypox Symptoms
The British Health Agency states that the early symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue and chills.
Effective treatment should mean that symptoms subside following two to four weeks (Picture: Getty Images)
“A rash may develop, often starting on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body, including the genitals,” the agency claims.
“The rash changes and goes through different stages and can look like chickenpox or syphilis before eventually forming a scab that later falls off.”
When you contract monkeypox, it usually takes between five days and three weeks for the first symptoms to appear.
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