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Here's everything you need to know about the monkeypox outbreak
Monkeypox — a rare disease usually found in Central and West Africa and among those who have travelled there — has been detected in the US, Australia and a number of European countries. It usually causes flu-like symptoms and puss-filled boils that get better within two to four weeks. Unlike COVID-19, which is highly contagious, monkeypox doesn't usually spread easily among people. Scientists are urgently investigating why it is spreading in an unusual way outside of Africa.
the first two cases of monkeypox in the us
In June 2021, a US man was hospitalized with monkeypox as he returned to the states from Nigeria. Due to mask-wearing protocols in airports and on airplanes, health officials said the risk of him spreading the virus — which transmits through respiratory droplets — to other travelers was very low. Months later, a similar case but separate case was reported. A US resident got monkeypox after returning to Maryland from Nigeria.
monkeypox emerges in the uk
The first UK case was announced on May 7. The UK Health Security Agency said the risk to public health was "very low," and they believe the first infected person had caught the virus while in Nigeria and then traveled to the UK. Since then, a total of seven monkeypox cases were diagnosed in the UK between May 6 and May 15. Two additional patients not linked to the first case were confirmed on May 14 and the four following cases had no link to foreign travel, UK health authorities said.
The disease spreads around US and Europe
Days after new clusters were reported in the UK, a single case of monkeypox was confirmed in Massachusetts. Germany and Australia were next to confirm cases. Now, at least 9 countries have reported monkeypox infections.
Key facts about monkeypox
Typically, a monkeypox infection lasts two to four weeks. The first thing people notice isn't usually a rash. Some of the initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. A person may then develop red bumps that morph into round blisters that fill with pus. These boils eventually crust over and fall off. There is currently no standard treatment for monkeypox, but smallpox vaccines are around 85% effective against it.
How monkeypox spreads
Monkeypox spreads through close contact with an infected person or contaminated fabrics. The disease has mainly been hitting young men who have sex with men, but that doesn't mean it's being sexually transmitted. Experts are investigating whether this is truly a more infectious version of monkeypox, or it has just infiltrated very close-knit populations.
