In 2020, the declaration of the coronavirus pandemic made the world pay more attention to infectious diseases. After two dizzying years in which the health system of each country was put to the test, it is not for less that a new risk factor generates concern.
Monkeypox, also known as monkeypox, is a disease caused by a virus transmitted from animals to people (viral zoonosis). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cases are reported sporadically in central and western areas of the African rainforest.
In early cases of monkeypox, infection occurs through direct contact with blood, body fluids, skin lesions or mucous membranes of infected animals. Improperly cooking meat from infected animals is a possible risk factor for developing the condition.
Person-to-person transmission of this disease can occur through close contact with infected respiratory secretions or skin lesions from an infected person. “Transmission occurs mainly by respiratory droplets, usually following prolonged face-to-face contact with the patient, which exposes family members of active cases to a higher risk of infection,” indicates the WHO.
The people most vulnerable to this virus are young adults, pregnant women and children.. “The fatality rate has varied a lot in the different epidemics, but it has been less than 10% in the documented events. Most deaths occur in young children and, in general, younger age groups appear to be more susceptible to monkeypox.
Who is at lower risk?
According to Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging, older adults vaccinated once morest smallpox can become infected, however, they are less likely to develop severe symptoms.
“In short, even those who were vaccinated many decades ago, maintain a very, very high level of antibodies and the ability to neutralize the virus”, Ferrucci commented to The New York Times. “Even if they were vaccinated 50 years ago, that protection should still be there.”
Specifically, in the United States, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified nine cases of monkeypox, routine smallpox immunization was discontinued in 1972. However, the military continued its vaccination program until 1991 as a precaution once morest a bioterrorist attack, reports the aforementioned media.
Although people with a high level of antibodies associated with vaccination can avoid serious illness, it is important not to trust and be attentive to the symptoms or warning signs. The symptoms of monkeypox are:
- Rash.
- Fever.
- Headache.
- Muscle pains.
- Back pain.
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Shaking chills.
- Exhaustion.
The symptoms of this disease can last from five to 21 days. The WHO explains that monkeypox infection can be divided into two stages. The first is incubation, which can last between zero and five days. The second, of skin rash, which can vary between one to three days, following the onset of fever. This skin condition usually affects the face in 95% of cases, the palms of the hands and feet in 75%.
Given the panorama generated by the cases of monkeypox, the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA, for its acronym in English) recommended last Monday, May 23, a 21-day isolation for people who are at risk of being infected.
Therefore, they asked those who have been in contact with a person who has monkeypox, to facilitate their contacts, do not travel and avoid any proximity to pregnant women or children under 12 years of age.
