Monkey pox is a viral disease that
produces pox lesions on the skin and is closely related to smallpox even though
not nearly as deadly.
It was first discovered in 1958
on a laboratory monkey kept for research. The first human cases were diagnosed
and differentiated from smallpox in the early 1970s. The virus can cause a
fatal illness in humans; the disease can be contracted through body fluids/materials
of animals or infected humans from a bite, scratch, bush meat consumption,
respiratory tract, mucus membrane, shared utensils, bed and rooms etc. can
increase your chances/risk of infection.
When a person is contracted with the
monkey pox virus, the incubation period is usually seven to fourteen days
commonly but could extend from five to twenty one days.
Signs and symptoms of monkey pox
include; fever followed by rash, soles on the face and other parts of the
body, chills, drenching night sweats, headache, muscles aches, backache,
exhaustion lymph nodes swell up etc. There are no specific treatments or
vaccines for monkey pox, but out breaks can be controlled through hand washing
with soap and water or alcohol based sanitizer, avoid ill or dead animals and
their materials.
To help control the spread of monkey
pox, the center for disease and prevention has listed ways in which the disease
can be transmitted. These ways includes:
Contact with infected monkeys: Just as the name implies,
monkey pox is mostly caused by monkeys. Human outbreaks are more likely to be
spread from infected animals than from a human to another human. Close contact
with infected monkeys can spread the virus to humans. Monkeys are sometimes
hunted in rural areas and touching an infected monkey even a dead one can make
a person contract the disease.
Contact with infected rodents: Rodents like rats and squirrels
can transmit the disease to human beings if they are infected. The virus is
present in the blood, body fluids and secretions of infected rodents. Close
contact with these mammals when infected can increase the chances of human
outbreak.
Bites and scratches form infected
animals: The
virus is usually found in the blood and body fluids of infected animals
including saliva. A bite or scratch can cause skin breakage and lead to the
transfer of the virus form infected animals to a human.
Eating inadequately cooked meat: In some part of Nigeria,
rodents and monkeys are consumed as bush meat. Eating bush meat can increase the
likelihood of contracting the disease because a dead infected animal can still
contain the virus. As a rule, all meat should be properly cooked as this can
decrease the likelihood of getting infected because thorough cooking kills so
many viruses.
Contact with respiratory secretions
of an infected person: Monkey pox can be spread by respiratory droplets or secretions.
When an infected person coughs or sneezes, thousands of respiratory droplets
are released into the air. This is why infected persons are usually treated in
isolated wards to prevent the transmission of the virus to others.
Contact with clothing of an infected
person: Apart
from direct physical contact, the clothing or materials used by an infected
person can lead to an indirect transmission. The virus can be found on
materials like clothes, bed sheets even when the person has removed them or is
not lying or wearing them. Close contact with these materials can increase the
chances of infection.
To help control the spread of monkey
pox, avoid the consumption of bush meat and dead animals. Ensure you always
wash your hands with alcoholic based sanitizers and if you most eat bush meat,
make sure you cook it more than the required cooking hours.
By Mercy Kukah
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