Monkey pox: all about this disease that is progressing in the United States and Europe. What do you need to know? It is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral zoonotic infection, which means it can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread from person to person.
What to know about monkey pox
Who is at greater risk?
Those most at risk of serious illness or complications include pregnant women, children, and people with compromised immune systems. Most people usually have mild symptoms, while others, especially those at risk, may develop more serious symptoms and require treatment in a hospital.
Can you die from monkeypox?
In most cases, the symptoms go away on their own within a few weeks. However, in some people, an infection can lead to medical complications and even death. Newbornschildren and people with underlying immune deficiencies may be at risk for more severe symptoms and death.
Complications include secondary skin infections, to pneumonia, confusion and eye problems. In the past, between 1% and 10% of people with monkeypox died. There have been no deaths to date in the countries where the current outbreak is taking place.
Monkeypox is spread from person to person through close contact with a person who has a monkeypox rash, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact, including including through sexual contact.
How long are you contagious?
A sick person is contagious until all of their lesions have scabbed over, the scabs have fallen off, and a new layer of skin has formed underneath.
Transmission by direct skin-to-skin contact, touching a surface, breathing in
Environments can be contaminated with monkeypox virus. In this way, when an infectious person touche clothes, bedding, towels, objects, electronic devices and surfaces, someone else who touches these objects can then become infected. It is also possible to be infected while breathing dander (dead cells) or viruses from clothing, bedding or towels. This is called fomite transmission.
Ulcers, sores or sores in the mouth can be infectious, meaning the virus can be spread through direct contact with the mouth, respiratory droplets and possibly short-range aerosols. The possible mechanisms of airborne transmission are not yet well understood and studies are underway to find out more.
Monkeypox virus can also be spread from a pregnant person to the fetus, after birth through skin-to-skin contact, or from a parent with monkeypox to an infant or child during a close contact.
Uncertainty about sexual transmission
It is not yet known whether the infection can be spread through semen, vaginal secretions, amniotic fluids, breast milk or blood. Research is ongoing to find out if people can spread monkeypox through the exchange of these fluids during and after symptomatic infection.
What if we were vaccinated against smallpox?
People who have been vaccinated against smallpox may have some protection against monkeypox. However, vaccination against this disease ceased worldwide after it was eradicated in 1980. People who have been vaccinated against smallpox should continue to take precautions to protect themselves and others.
What are the symptoms ?
The most common symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, lack of energy and swollen lymph nodes. This is followed or accompanied by the development of a rash that can last for two to three weeks. The rash can be found on the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyes, mouth, throat, groin, and genital and/or anal areas of the body.
The number of lesions can vary from one to hundreds. They start out flat, then fill with liquid before crusting over, drying out and falling off, with a new layer of skin forming underneath.
Symptoms usually go away on their own or with supportive care, such as pain or fever medication.
Limit close contact with people suspected or confirmed of monkeypox, or with animals that may be infected. Regularly clean and disinfect environments that may have been contaminated with the virus from a contagious person.
If you think you have monkeypox, see a doctor and isolate yourself from others until you have been assessed and tested.
Do you have confirmed monkeypox? Isolate yourself from others until all of your lesions have scabbed over, the scabs have fallen off, and a new layer of skin has formed underneath. This will prevent you from transmitting the monkeypox virus to others.