Monkey pox: Will it be the next pandemic? – Myths and truths about the alarming disease

The threat of one new pandemicof her monkey pox, is just around the corner with experts cracking the danger code. The new disease appears to be worrying the global medical community as federal health officials scramble to secure more reimgs, according to an emergency statement in White House last Thursday.

“Explosion” of cases

The health services in USA they are on high alert as they have counted at least 6,600 cases of monkeypox and another 1,000 cases are expected to be added to the list within the next week. THE New York “holds the reins” as there are more than 1,400 active cases only for the month of June, which is of particular concern to experts. At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHERE) reports that there are now more than 26,000 active outbreaks worldwide. However, exactly how and why the once “rare and unusual” virus emerged recently and then spread across continents remains a mystery.

THE Dr. John White, chief medical officer of WebMD, talk to The Post stating that doctors are “still learning” about the disease, while at the same time he reassured patients by saying: “We don’t know if the disease is fatal. And that’s good,” said White.

Another encouraging development according to the official is that the statement “emergency” paves the way for federal health agencies to gain access to even more reimgs and federal money to expedite research, data collection, vaccine distribution, and clinical trials. As he points out, all of this, by law, could not have happened so quickly without the emergency authorization. “It gives them more power to deal with it early on,” said White.

What is monkey pox, how to spot it and how to protect yourself from infection

What is monkey pox?

Monkey pox is a icongenital disease which was first discovered in 1958 and comes from monkey colonies (hence the name), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The first person diagnosed was in 1970in the People’s Republic of the Congo – at a time when public health efforts in the region were focused on eradicating smallpox, characterized by fever, aches and rashes all over the body.

Until now, most cases of monkeypox in humans have come from central and western countries Africa, after contact with an infected animal – mainly rodents, but also some, to a lesser extent, from human contact, the scientists point out. Now this has changed and experts believe that its spread infectious disease is mainly due to sexual contact between humans, as the new cases appear to have nothing to do with animals or travel to Africa.

What are the symptoms of monkey pox

A woman with monkey pox talks about her experience on TikTok. The TikToker updates her followers daily about her health adventure.
Those infected with monkeypox will initially see the same symptoms as any “known” virus with fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion. But it’s a rash – it’s called blessing – is indicative of her disease.

Whyte cautions against using dermatological signs as the “first red flag.” As explained by scientistsmallpox, first appears in one area of ​​the body before it spreads quickly throughout the body, but “it is not the first sign”, he emphasized. At the same time, he warned that anyone who suspects that he is suffering from the infectious disease should refrain from close physical contact with others (sex), regardless of the type of infection. You should be concerned about a possible monkeypox infection if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case without necessarily having developed a rash.

Chickenpox rashes start as flat wounds which later swell and fill with infected pus. Crusts then form which eventually peel off. The entire cycle is completed in approx one month.

Transmission of monkeypox occurs primarily through “close physical contact.” The scientist described three main ways monkeypox is transmitted, the most common being through contact such as: a tight hug, a kiss and, of course, sex. There is also a high possibility of cohabitation due to the sharing of unclean sheets, towels and clothing with an infected person. The last and least likely way to catch monkeypox is through respiratory droplets – which would result in an infected patient coughing, sneezing or spitting almost directly on you.

White admits, however, that one could catch the virus in a public setting – like, say, on a city bus. But “it’s just not realistic,” he insisted, as the virus isn’t known to “survive long in the air” outside of the sick person.

It is important to note that monkey pox is “not the gay disease”, despite the fact that the community has borne the brunt of the epidemic. Women, children and heterosexual men are all equally likely to become ill, provided they too come into close contact with the infection.

Is there a monkeypox vaccine?

The Africa CDC says that the gay sex ‘doesn’t matter’ in monkey pox in the country.
Although monkeypox is considered milder than its viral “cousin”, (smallpox), the vaccine of smallpox is known to provide some protection from both infections. Thus, those vaccinated against smallpox in young age, are less likely to develop a severe case of smallpox later in life. However, smallpox vaccines – first developed in the 1800s, leading to the global eradication of smallpox in 1980 – stopped being distributed in the US in the early 1970s. So only middle-aged adults and the elderly can boast some degree of protection. Regardless, the most recently developed monkeypox vaccine, approved in 2019, is preferred by doctors and is now increasingly available to high-risk groups, namely gay men with multiple sexual partners, sex workers, family members and partners of infected individuals and health care workers in contact with monkeypox patients.

So far, more than 600,000 monkeypox vaccines have been distributed from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Stockpile, to clinics across the country with a focus on hotspots like New York. By mid-2023, the government hopes to increase the doses to nearly 7 million, which are expected to arrive gradually over the coming months.

How is monkey pox treated? Is monkey pox fatal?

As there is no cure for monkeypox, h treatment focuses on alleviating symptoms, except in some cases where antiviral treatments are used to suppress the condition. While the vast majority of cases will resolve without lasting effects, at least one strain of the virus is known to be fatal, killing up tothe 10% of people it infects, according to the World Health Organization. Fortunately, the virus currently circulating carries an almost negligible fatality rate. “It’s uncomfortable, it’s painful … But most people recover in two to four weeks,” White said.

Will monkeypox be the next pandemic?

“We don’t know that,” the scientist told The Post, despite what “some experts” are speculating — after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Whyte insisted that the mode of transmission of the monkeypox virus is “completely different” from “airborne” coronavirus – which continues to infect thousands and kill hundreds of Americans every day.

“We have to be vigilant,” White said, “but we don’t want to alarm people.” “Not yet” concluded the doctor.