Current Affairs

Issue

A case of monkeypox has been identified in the UK in a patient having travel history to Nigeria.

 

Background

Monkey pox disease is similar to smallpox. It is an orthopoxvirus, which is a genus of viruses that also includes the variola virus.

 

Details

• Monkeypox occurs in countries in Central and West Africa, even though small pox is eradicated globally.

• Two different strains include the West African and the Congo Basin, also known as the Central African clade.

 

Occurrence

• The disease was first identified in 1958 following two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in monkey colonies.

• The first case of human infection was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

• The disease is prevalent across countries such as DRC, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

 

Transmission

• Monkeypox disease is transmitted from animal to human. The infection has been detected in squirrels, Gambian poached rats, dormice, and some species of monkeys.

• Human to human transmission is very rare. It does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general public is very low.

• It spread through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets and contaminated objects.

 

Symptoms

• Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, muscle aches, back ache, and exhaustion. It causes swelling in lymph nodes.

• Incubation period is 7-14 days but can range from 5-21 days. Rash starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body.

 

Mortality and treatment

• Percentage of people dying from disease has varied between 0 and 11% in documented cases. It is higher among young children.

• There is no specific treatment. Supportive treatments have to be provided depending on the symptoms.