Jakarta, NOT Online
Hearing the term monkeypox, some people may imagine a similar disease, namely chickenpox. So, what are the similarities between the two and what are the differences?
Researchers at the Virology Laboratory, Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes), Hana A Pawestri and Krisna Nur Andriana Pangesti revealed that the virus that causes monkeypox and chickenpox is in a family group of viruses called Orthopoxvirus. Monkeypox virus is called virus monkeypoxwhile the cause of chickenpox is called vaccinia virus.
“These two viruses are closely related to the smallpox virus, a smallpox disease that has been considered extinct since 1980 by the World Health Organization (WHO) thanks to mass vaccination,” they wrote in an article entitled Monkeypox disease, 4 things you need to know so you don’t get infected
The two researchers from the Ministry of Health continued that the monkeypox virus was first identified in monkeys in 1958 in Copenhagen, Denmark. While the case of monkeypox in humans was first reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa.
“The symptoms of monkeypox in humans are similar to those of smallpox, but milder. Early symptoms that are similar to diseases caused by other viruses are fever, headache, backache, muscle aches, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin,” they continued.
After 1-3 days of being exposed to monkeypox, a red rash and red spots will appear like smallpox. Spots on the surface of the skin filled with fluid and pus will last for approximately 2-4 weeks.
However, like other viral diseases, monkeypox is self-limited. “This means that it can heal itself without treatment depending on the resilience and immunity of each person’s body,” said Hana and Krisna.
A lot happened
In the article, although the first reported cases of monkeypox in humans were found in Southeast Asia, cases of monkeypox in humans have occurred in many countries in West and Central Africa such as the Central African Republic, Liberia, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone.
“The highest cases occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where since 2005 more than 1000 suspected cases were found per year, then 115 cases in Nigeria, 88 cases in the Republic of the Congo, and the number of cases other than in these three countries ranged from one to a dozen,” said the two researchers. .
In addition, outside the region, cases of monkeypox in humans and animals have been reported in the United States in 2003 (47 cases), England (3 cases) and Israel (1 case) last year, and one recent case in Singapore.
Reporter: Kendi Setiawan
Editor: Musthofa Asrori
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