Last updated on August 16th, 2022 at 04:18 pm
What is the Monkeypox disease? Monkeypox is a viral disease with symptoms similar to smallpox that is caused by the infection of the zoonotic virus. The zoonotic virus is a class of viruses that spreads from animal to human. As we all know that in smallpox there is a formation of small multiple eruptions on the skin spread across the body, similarly monkeypox sufferer also develops skin eruptions all over the body. However, there are a few differences between smallpox and monkeypox and in this article, we will cover their differences in symptoms, and how we can prevent ourselves and our families from getting infected by monkeypox.
What is the monkeypox disease and virus?
Monkeypox is usually seen in the tropical countries of Central and West Africa. and according to WHO it is now spreading to other parts of the globe. It has become a cause of concern after the virus has been detected in European countries, the US, the UK and Canada. Monkeypox closely resembles the smallpox disease which is also an Orthopox viral disease. Smallpox was declared eradicated by the year 1980 by World Health Organisation and this new outbreak is similar to smallpox and is a cause of concern for health.
It is a zoonotic viral disease in which a virus from an animal is transmitted to a human and the virus that causes monkeypox is called as monkeypox virus. It commonly affects children and if the immune power of the child is compromised then it can be in a more severe form. It is usually and self-limited disease which lasts for 4 to 6 weeks. So before we come to the point that how it is how it spreads and what we can do to prevent ourselves from monkeypox let us discuss what are its symptoms.
Pictures of monkeypox
Symptoms of monkeypox
Initial clinical signs of monkeypox resemble the viral infection seen in flu, these signs included fever, headache, body ache, sore throat, weakness and easily getting tired. A common person may easily be mistaken it to be a sign of common cold or flu, even covid. However, within 1 to 2 days of the onset of the fever, the sufferer starts to develop skin eruption, rashes and swollen lymph nodes. The skin rash in monkeypox is described to be more prominent over the face but also on palms and soles, a feature which is only seen in monkeypox. In the current monkeypox outbreak, the rash has been mostly seen in the genitalia and around anus (2).
It is a self Limited disease and symptoms last for two to four weeks.
What causes monkeypox, how it’s transmitted
We should not get confused between smallpox, monkeypox and flu. Smallpox infection only transmits from one infected human to another human, while monkeypox spreads from animal to human and also human to human transmission is possible (2).
Monkey Pox is transmitted to humans by close contact with the infected person or infected animal or an object which is infected by the monkeypox virus. It spreads through close contact with an infected person’s body fluid such as any lesion on the body, blood droplets even sexaul caontact can result in infection. Doctors say the symptoms of monkeypox and smallpox are similar, but, the symptoms of monkeypox are milder than smallpox. Here’s the table of comparison between the two.
Monkeypox vs Smallpox
| Monkeypox | Smallpox | |
|---|---|---|
| First identified in 1970 by WHO | Smallpox is declared eradicated by 1980 by WHO | |
| Causative virus | Orthopox virus | Orthopox virus |
| Symptoms | Flu-like symptoms, Milder than smallpox | Flu-like symptoms |
| Lymph node enlargement | No lymph node enlargement | |
| Transmission | Both are transmitted through person-to-person contact, body fluid like respiratory droplets, and sharing contaminated, clothes and bedding. | Both are transmitted through person-to-person contact, body fluid like respiratory droplets, and sharing contaminated, clothes and bedding. |
Measures to prevent its spread
To prevent the spread of the infection we have to avoid any close contact with the infected person we should avoid using the bed used by the person or should take precautions like wearing a mask or avoiding sharing the tower’s personal towel or handkerchief. According to the WHO, the vaccination that is used for smallpox is effective in controlling the monkeypox virus, However, a new vaccine is also developed to control the monkeypox virus.
Monkeypox in a nutshell
What monkeypox is?
Monkeypox is a virus transmitted from animal to human (to start with) then it spreads from human to human. It transmits through close body contact, sexual contact, body fluid like blood, and respiratory droplets. It also spreads by sharing infected materials like bedding.
Symptoms for monkeypox
Initial symptoms are similar to flu, like fever, body ache, and weakness. After 1 to 3 days of onset of fever skin eruption, swelling of lymph nodes and rashes develops. Skin rash is similar to smallpox with the only difference that in monkeypox skin rash is concentrated on the face, palm and foot soles.
Monkeypox treatment
Adequate fluid and nutritious food are recommended to maintain health status. As of now, the smallpox vaccine is found to be effective in treating monkeypox. The development of vaccines specific to the monkeypox virus is still in the research phase.
Edit: Date: 16/18/2022 First ever case of a pet dog contracting monkeypox from its owner was reported in France.
Source:
- World Health Organisation
- Monkeypox & human folly, by K Srinath Reddy, Times of India
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Dr Sunit Sanjay Ekka is a physiotherapist in practice for the last 15 years. He has done his BPT from one of the premium Central Government physiotherapy colleges, ie, SVNIRTAR. The patient is his best teacher and whatever he gets to learn he loves to share it on his Youtube channel and blog.
