Monkeypox virus or Monkeypox is getting the world’s attention. The reason is that the virus has spread to several non-endemic countries such as the United States, Australia, and several regions in Europe.
In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) as of Saturday (28/5/2022), has recorded more than 200 people have contracted this virus.
Doctor Dominicus Husada, Head of the Division of Pediatric Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Airlangga (Unair) said monkeypox has many similarities to smallpox in humans. The main sign is that there are spots filled with pus or fluid in many places on the body, especially the limbs.
“If no spots appear, the suspicion towards monkeypox is practically low. In contrast to human smallpox which always leaves a mark or causes death, monkeypox is relatively mild. Rarely is it aggravating or causing death,” he explained in a press release received suarasurabaya.netMonday (30/5/2022).
Dominicus explained that close contact between humans can be a medium for transmitting the virus. Because, fluids containing the virus enter the body through injured skin, eyes, mouth, or respiratory tract.
Whereas in the West, one of the factors driving the transmission of this virus is same-sex sex. In addition to attacking adults, the monkeypox virus can also attack children.
“The various diseases that have only been known to humans in recent years are almost all from animals, but now they have moved to humans. This is caused by changes in human lifestyles, interactions with forests and their contents, as well as global warming,“explained the Unair FK Lecturer.
“All of the above must be considered if the world is to be in balance. The current concept is called one health. Talking about infectious diseases must involve veterinarians and agricultural experts as well because disease exists in all living things. Taking care of humans alone will not be able to solve the problem,” he added.
Monkeypox disease itself is by far the most common in Africa, so you could say they experience monkeypox virus outbreaks almost every year both at the local level and at the wider level. Furthermore, Dominicus suggested that if there were people suspected of having monkeypox, they should not be approached first because of the high risk of transmission.
“Currently, the monkeypox virus vaccine is available in several developed countries. The vaccine used is a vaccine for human smallpox which is also effective for monkeypox. Some countries such as the USA have stock of this vaccine, but Indonesia does not have it,” he concluded.(bil/ipg)
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