MONKEYPOX outbreak

Corona virus is not over and we are in the verse of some other dangerous virus MONKEYPOX.  This new threat is hitting the world so that even the major countries like US and UK are witnessing death cases everyday .

Worldwide occurrences of monkeypox are rising, notably in the US, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recorded hundreds of cases since May. An international coordinated response is necessary in response to the global health emergency proclaimed by the World Health Organization. It becomes sense that news of a new virus spreading over the world could raise concerns after more than two years of the Covid-19 outbreak. Although medical professionals believe that monkeypox is unlikely to result in a situation similar to that of the corona virus, concerns about vaccination programs and how monkeypox is propagated still exist. These are some responses.

What is monkeypox ?

The virus that causes monkey pox is comparable to smallpox, although the symptoms are milder. After outbreaks occurred in research-held monkeys, it was found in 1958. The virus may be circulating in the wild in a range of primates and rodents, according to scientists. The virus is mostly present in portions of Central and West Africa, while it has occasionally produced minor outbreaks in other countries, including the United States. It has infected tens of thousands of people in recent weeks and spread to dozens of nations. According to the World Health Organization, the virus, which has a low fatality rate, is known to spread through direct contact, as well as through infected things like clothing and bedding or by the respiratory droplets created by sneezing or coughing.

Additionally, monkeypox can be passed from mother to fetus through the placenta or through intimate contact during labor and delivery. Although there is scant proof that semen or other bodily fluids shared during intercourse can transmit monkeypox, the bulk of cases this year have been in young men who claim they have sex with other men. Scientists are still looking at other possibilities, but contact with diseased sores during sex may be a more likely approach.

Spread of monkepox

A person can contract the monkeypox virus by coming into direct personal contact with infected lesions or pustules, by handling clothes or bedding that has come into contact with the rash, or by inhaling respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing. Through the placenta or intimate contact during and after birth, monkeypox can also be passed from mother to fetus. However, a study of more than 500 cases that were reported in 16 countries between April and June revealed that 98 percent of monkeypox cases were among men who have sex with men. It is unknown whether monkeypox is also transmitted sexually.

In a different study, researchers discovered monkeypox virus DNA in saliva, urine, feces, and semen. However, they do not yet know whether the virus is capable of replicating and infecting additional people. The stigma that comes with calling monkeypox a sexually transmitted sickness worries several professionals and academics. Others contend that in order to aid the guys who now have sex with males, it is critical to disclose sex as a potential risk factor. Monkeypox can potentially be contracted and spread by anyone, however even as testing has spread globally, the incidence of cases in women and children has remained comparatively low.

How spread is monkeypox?

This outbreak is so far relatively small at more than 7,594 cases worldwide and more than 700 cases in the U.S. It is notable because it is transmitting outside of West Africa where it is endemic and is spreading among people in other countries in people with no contact with West Africa.

Symptoms of monkeypox

Despite belonging to the same viral family as smallpox, monkeypox usually causes a much milder illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to what researchers have discovered from previous epidemics in African nations, symptoms of monkeypox usually appear six to thirteen days after exposure, but they can appear up to three weeks later. Fever, headaches, back and muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and general tiredness are frequent symptoms of illness. A painful rash that is typical of poxviruses then appears. It begins with flat red markings that gradually rise and fill with pus on the patient's face, hands, feet, mouth, or genitals over the course of roughly a week.

People can also experience fevers, chills and lymph node swelling. Sometimes that occurs before the rash appears. However, in this outbreak, those symptoms have been less frequent.

According to experts, recent occurrences of monkeypox may have unusual symptoms. Not everyone who becomes ill exhibits the typical fever, bodily aches, and rashes. Numerous patients have only a few small pustules in the vaginal or rectal area, which are easily confused with other STDs. Additionally, at least one investigation found the virus in people who had no symptoms at all.Usually, symptoms disappear on their own or with a little supportive treatment, such as painkillers or antibiotics for subsequent infections. According to Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan at Canada's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, after a person's pustules scab over and the scabs come off, they are no longer contagious. Monkeypox rarely results in death, but it can cause more severe cases in children and those with underlying immune weaknesses.

Test for MONKEYPOX 

If the red lesions , pimples or pustule are seen in the body then instantly visit the doctor. Doctor will swab a lesion and ask for a monkeypox test. Additionally, you can get checked through other medical professionals, urgent care facilities, or sexual health clinics. There is currently no technique to test for monkeypox if you merely have a fever and flu-like symptoms, according to Dr. William Morice, the Mayo Clinic's chair of the department of lab medicine and pathology and the organization's president. There is no monkeypox home test available. Dr. Morice stated that even in a clinic, medical professionals require a lesion to swab in order to conduct a test.

As soon as symptoms of monkey pox appear, patients should isolate at home. They should also cover any skin rashes as much as they can, avoid close contact with friends, family, and pets, and wear premium masks if they must interact with others for medical treatment, just like those who have Covid-19. The C.D.C. advises keeping to yourself and limiting contact with people until any lesions are fully healed. Only after lesions crust up, scabs come off, and a new layer of unbroken skin forms are you declared to be in the clear. And that may take weeks, anything from two to four.

Treatment

Monkeypox therapy after a diagnosis generally entails controlling symptoms, according to Dr. Bernard Camins, the Mount Sinai Health System's medical director for infection prevention. A doctor may give painkillers or suggest stool softeners and shallow sitz baths, used to ease pain or itching in the genital area, in cases where patients with anal or rectal lesions experience severe agony, particularly while defecating, he said. Patients who suffer mouth sores may have trouble swallowing; medication can help. Particularly if they have large, open lesions, some may experience subsequent bacterial infections and need antibiotic therapy.

Antivirals like tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, are normally only advised for those who have more severe systemic symptoms from monkeypox, such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, or a generalized rash. To receive the medication, doctors must complete out onerous paperwork, request it from the government's supply, and obtain the patients' informed consent. Dr. Sandro Cinti, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, said, "It's not a drug that is sitting on the shelf at the pharmacy or in the clinic."Patients should confine themselves to their homes as soon as they experience symptoms of monkeypox, whether or whether they are eligible for antiviral treatment. They should cover any skin rashes as much as they can, avoid close contact with friends, family, and pets, and wear premium masks if they must interact with others for medical treatment, just like those who have Covid-19. The C.D.C. advises keeping to yourself and limiting contact with people until any lesions are fully healed. Only after lesions crust up, scabs come off, and a new layer of unbroken skin forms are you declared to be in the clear. And that may take weeks, anything from two to four.

Vaccination against MONKEYPOX 

Jynneos is the name of the vaccination that is most frequently used to prevent monkeypox. There are two dosages, spaced four weeks apart.currently two vaccines are in use for the prevention of monkeypox

1) JYNNEOS 

2) ACAM2000

Prevention for monkeypox 

Protected sexual contact is preferred; stay away from somebody who has sores on their skin. Infected individuals should get in touch with their local public health office to learn ways to lower the risk of transmission. Wearing a mask and avoiding direct contact with others are advised until the skin lesions are fully recovered, which can take up to two weeks. For those who contract the disease, the road ahead is long. I do want to emphasize how minimal the risk is to the general people. The majority of infections were spread through sexual interaction. Please get in touch with your doctor or public health if you have been exposed to monkeypox by someone in your immediate family or a sexual partner.