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What is monkeypox? -

Monkeypox is a rare and infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. A member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, the monkeypox virus can occur in certain animals. And as we've learned, it can also occur in humans.

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Monkeypox virus -

The monkeypox virus is a viral zoonotic disease, that is to say it is transmitted between species from animals to humans. Pictured is the virus present in human vesicular fluid.

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Incubation period -

The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually seven to 14 days, but can range from five to 21 days. A person is unlikely to be contagious during this period and will usually not display symptoms.

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Signs and symptoms -

In humans, the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. Early signs of infection include high temperature fever, headache, muscle pains, and fatigue.

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Lymphadenopathy -

A tell-tale sign symptom of monkeypox is swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), a condition that was never associated with smallpox.

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Lesions -

Within a few days after the onset of fever, lesions appear typically first on the face of those infected with monkeypox. They then spread to other parts of the body.

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Stages of lesions -

These lesions progress through several stages⁠—macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs⁠—before falling off.

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Contagious -

A person stricken with monkeypox is contagious from the onset of lesions through to the scab stage.

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Death rate -

The illness typically lasts for two to four weeks. Data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that, in Africa, monkeypox has been shown to cause death in as many as one in 10 persons who contract the disease.

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How do you catch monkeypox? -

Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.

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Animal-to-human transmission -

The virus can be caught if you are bitten by an infected animal, or you touch its blood, body fluids, spots, blisters, or scabs. It enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).

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Possible hosts -

According to the CDC, the reservoir host (main disease carrier) of monkeypox is still unknown. However, some African rodents, including rope squirrels, are suspected to play a part in transmission.

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Human-to-human transmission -

Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets, though prolonged face-to-face contact is required as respiratory droplets generally cannot travel more than a short distance.

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Bushmeat -

Monkeypox may also be spread by handling infected bushmeat. While bushmeat is an important source of protein and income for many African people, bushmeat-related activities have been linked to numerous emerging infectious disease outbreaks.

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Origins of monkeypox -

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 by Danish virologist Preben von Magnus (1912–1973) when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of crab-eating macaque monkeys kept for research. The name 'monkeypox' was chosen to identity the condition.

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First human case of monkeypox -

It was not until 1970, more than 10 years after von Magnus identified the virus, that monkeypox was first identified in humans, a discovery made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. Since then, most cases have been reported from rural, rain forest regions of the Congo Basin (pictured).

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Monkeypox spread -

However, human monkeypox has been reported in people in several other central and western African countries, specifically 11 nations: Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.

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Nigeria -

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since 2017 Nigeria has experienced a substantial outbreak, with over 500 suspected cases and over 200 confirmed cases and a case fatality ratio of approximately 3%. Cases are still being reported as of 2022.

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Prevention -

Preventing infection with the monkeypox virus is the first line of defense in combating the spread of the disease. Avoid contact with animals that could harbor the virus. This advice extends to animals—wild and domestic—that are sick or that have been found dead in areas where monkeypox occurs.

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Avoid touching infected animal bedding -

Similarly, steer clear of any materials, such as bedding, that has been in contact with a sick animal.

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Washing hands -

Effective hand hygiene is essential when preventing the spread of any infectious disease. In areas where monkeypox has occurred or is prevalent, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after contact with infected animals or humans.

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Isolation -

Those with monkeypox will need to be treated in isolation to reduce the risk of infection in others.

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Health care safeguards -

Health care providers should safeguard themselves from monkeypox by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients.

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Disinfection -

In isolated hospitals in rural areas, special care is needed in order to disinfect treatment rooms. Here, at a monkeypox quarantine center in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region of the Central African Republic, a member of staff mops down a ward previously occupied by a patient.

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Is there a vaccine for monkeypox? -

WHO states that vaccines used in the eradication of smallpox also offer protection against monkeypox. More recent vaccines have been specifically designed for the prevention of monkeypox, but are not widely available.

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Vaccine development -

The CDC reports that JYNNEOSTM (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex) is an attenuated live virus vaccine that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of monkeypox.

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Monkeypox beyond Africa -

In May 2003, the first case of monkeypox infection in the United States was recorded. The cause of the outbreak was traced to Gambian pouched rats imported into the country by an exotic animal trader. No human-to-human transmission was reported, and no deaths were recorded.

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Monkeypox visits the UK -

In September 2018, the United Kingdom's first case of monkeypox was recorded. The patient, a Nigerian national, is believed to have contracted monkeypox in Nigeria before traveling to the UK.

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Worldwide -

A person also traveling from Nigeria was hospitalized in an isolation ward at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases in Singapore in May 2019 after being confirmed as the country's first case of monkeypox.

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2022 monkeypox outbreak -

As of mid-May 2022, cases of the monkeypox virus have been reported in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, and Germany. 

Sources: (WHO) (National World) (National Geographic) (CDC) (National Library of Medicine)

See also: Deadly diseases you thought were gone... but aren't 

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