Last week, on the 23rd of July 2022, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the W.H.O.’s director general declared the rising monkeypox cases as a global health emergency.
If you are wondering what exactly this new virus is, what are its symptoms and how to protect yourself against it, keep reading to uncover the answers to your questions!
Monkeypox is the disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the variola family of viruses (same family as the virus that causes smallpox).
The first traces of human cases of monkeypox dates back to 1970 to a 9-month-old boy in the Republic of Congo. Ever since then, monkeypox cases have been confined to the Central and Western African regions. It was only in 2003 that monkeypox cases began to emerge outside of Africa: the first instance of which was in the USA, where there were cases amongst pets. Fast forward to 2022, more than 15,000 cases have since been discovered in several countries within the year, including the UK, India, Spain, Australia and Singapore.
The virus is transmitted via respiratory secretions, droplets and skin to skin contact. You are at high risk especially if you come into contact with broken skin, eyes, nose or mouth of a person infected with monkeypox. Furthermore, monkeypox can also be spread when in contact with virus contaminated objects like bedding and clothing. In addition, although there hasn’t been any scientific evidence that monkeypox is transmitted via sexual fluids, patients with the virus are advised to use condoms during sexual intercourse for eight weeks as a precaution after being infected.
Vaccination against smallpox has proved to be 85% effective in monkeypox prevention.
Monkeypox is a disease where the presenting rash goes through multiple stages of healing – typically, symptoms last between 2-4 weeks. Although there have been more severe cases (some leading to death) that were reported in Africa, most cases are mild, sometimes similar to chickenpox.
As of June 2022, there have been 1595 cases which resulted in 72 deaths in the African Region as a result of monkeypox.
There have been 4 monkeypox cases identified in India so far. If the spread in India tends to rise, Sri Lanka is also at a potentially high risk of a monkeypox outbreak. It is also possible that foreign travellers from other countries could import the virus to the country.
As seen visibly we have forgotten the basic safety rules that we strictly abided by in early 2020, so it’s best to start our healthy habits once again. Safety first, it’s important for us to protect ourselves and carefully identify symptoms to prevent its spread in our country.
Please stay alert if you or anyone you know experiences these symptoms. By doing so, you can take necessary precautions to prevent a serious spread in our country. Stay safe and alert!
You can consult a GP via the oDoc app if you think you have the above symptoms or need further information from a medical professional.
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