Monkeypox is common in most Central and West African countries
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON — The UK’s Health Security Service (UKHSA) has reported a rare disease that has affected a British citizen. The resident was diagnosed as infected monkey pox rare after his return from Nigeria, West Africa.
Monkeypox is known to be caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same virus family as smallpox, although it is much milder and experts say the chance of infection is low. It was the first time the disease was seen in the UK, it is common in most of Central and West African countries and areas near tropical rainforests.
Prof Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology, University of Nottingham, said the fact that only one in 50 contacts of an initial patient infected with monkeypox showed how bad the virus infection was. The Deputy Director, National Infection Service at Public Health England (PHE) said: “It is very wrong to think this outbreak is becoming a national issue.
“It is important to emphasize that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the general population is very low,” he said. BBC NewsAhad (8/5/2022).
Still being reported BBC News, two of the infected patients in the UK traveled from Nigeria. So it’s possible they were suffering from the West African strain of the virus, which is generally mild, but this has not been confirmed. The third case is a health worker who contracted the virus from one of the patients.
Meanwhile, the initial symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headache, swelling, backache, muscle aches and lethargy. After a fever, a rash will usually appear, which often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, most often on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
The rash, which can be very itchy, changes and goes through different stages before eventually forming a scab, which then falls off. Lesions can cause scarring. The infection usually goes away on its own and lasts between 14 and 21 days.
For transmission, monkeypox can be transmitted when someone has close contact with an infected person. The virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth. It can also be spread through contact with infected animals such as monkeys, mice and squirrels, or through objects contaminated with the virus, such as bedding and clothing.
The good news, most reports show that the virus is mild, sometimes resembles chickenpox, and goes away on its own within a few weeks. However, monkeypox can sometimes be more severe, and has been reported to cause death in west Africa.
The virus was first identified in 1970 from captive monkeys and there have been reported sporadic outbreaks in 10 African countries. There was an outbreak in the United States in 2003, this is the first time the disease has been seen outside Africa.
The patient contracted the disease from close contact with prairie dogs that had been infected by various small mammals sent to the country. A total of 81 cases were reported, but none resulted in death.
Then, in 2017, Nigeria experienced its largest outbreak in about 40 years after the country had monkey pox case last confirmed. There were 172 suspected cases of monkeypox, and 75 percent of the victims were men between the ages of 21 and 40.
Until now, there is no treatment for monkeypox, but the outbreak can be controlled by preventing infection. Vaccination against smallpox has been shown to be 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox, and is still sometimes used.
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