WHO Reveals Origin of Monkey Smallpox, Disease Spreading in Europe

JAKARTA – monkey pox is spreading in the country Europe . This disease is reported to have been detected in England, Portugal to Spain. World Health Organization (WHO) also revealed the origin of monkeypox, which is a zoonotic virus (a virus that is transmitted to humans from animals).

The disease has very similar symptoms to those seen in smallpox patients, although clinically it is not very severe. Monkeypox occurs mainly in Central and West Africa, often near tropical rainforests and is becoming increasingly common in urban areas.

Monkeypox virus is a double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus of the family Poxviridae. There are two distinct genetic clades of monkeypox virus, the Central African clade (Congo Basin) and the West African clade.

Reporting from the WHO website, Friday (20/5/2022), the Congo Basin has historically caused more severe disease and is considered more infectious. The geographic division between the two clades has so far been in Cameroon, the only country where both viral clades have been found.

Also Read: Bill Gates Accused of Masterminding the Monkeypox Outbreak

Various animal species have been identified as susceptible to monkeypox virus. These include rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian marsupials, dormice, and other species. There is still uncertainty about the history of monkeypox and more research is needed to identify how circulating the virus is maintained in nature.

Human monkeypox was first identified as infecting humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 9-year-old boy in a region where smallpox had been eliminated in 1968. Since then, most cases have been reported from rural, rainforest areas, particularly in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Human cases of monkeypox are increasingly being reported from all over Central and West Africa. Since 1970, cases of monkeypox have been reported in humans in 11 African countries including Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.

Animal-to-human (zoonotic) transmission can occur from direct contact with the blood, body fluids, or skin or mucosal lesions of infected animals. In Africa, evidence of monkeypox infection has been found in many animals including rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian boiled mice, dormice, various species of monkeys and others.

Also Read: A rare monkeypox infection detected in Europe, here are the symptoms and characteristics

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