Monkeypox Rising: What Do You Need To Know
It seems we are in the "viral age" as multiple viruses mingle with human communities
Another virus is making noise and no one's sure whether monkeypox will turn into a global health threat
We've got the typical ones already: the common cold, flu, rabies, Ebola, swine flu, and avian flu
Then, COVID-19 decided to make things worse
It is being led by the Omicron variant, which now has five subvariants
Recently, monkeypox decided to join the fray
Although not as dangerous as the eradicated smallpox, monkeypox has a higher fatality rate than COVID-19
It is also very contagious and may leave scars on the skin
The pox, which looks like chickpeas, is too disturbing to look at for the faint-hearted
So, everyone should be a little more vigilant since monkeypox is spreading mysteriously on different continents
Let's start with where monkeypox has landed
According to the WHO, the disease already reached Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the US, and the UK, as of May 21
But that isn't the weird part: the tracking data aren't showing officials how monkeypox is spreading in non-endemic countries
Next are the symptoms of monkeypox
Just so you know, monkeypox is caused by the virus of the same name that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which includes the causative variola viruses behind smallpox
But monkeypox isn't an ancestor or direct descendant of smallpox
They are simply related to each other
The pox is a hallmark sign of monkeypox, yet the disease often starts with a fever, headache, muscle pain, and exhaustion
The incubation period ranges between 5 and 21 days, so a full month of isolation is necessary to cover this
The iconic pox starts as a rash within a few days after the fever starts and will develop into lesions
The chances of dying from monkeypox are 1 in 10 persons infected, as per US CDC
In Africa, the rate is around 3 versus 2.5 for COVID-19
Monkeypox can be spread by humans via close skin contact, air droplets, bodily fluids, and virus-contaminated objects
Can we treat it? We don't have specific treatments against monkeypox
What we have are control measures to stop outbreaks from rampaging
We got the smallpox vaccine, cidofovir, ST-246, and vaccinia immune globulin to deal with monkeypox
The smallpox vaccine called Jynneos, aka Imvamune or Imvanex, can shield a person from monkeypox
Due to the relationship between the viruses, the vaccine is at least 85% effective against monkeypox
Experts cannot tell if the situation will get worse
They must figure out the how or what in these outbreaks
How it transmits so fast and what behaviors or practices have led to this
Has your city reported a case of monkeypox?
Are you alarmed by this new spreading virus?
Share your thoughts in the comment section
'Till our next video! Thanks for watching!