monkeypox

Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus that can occur in certain animals, including humans. Symptoms begin with fever, headache, muscle pains, swollen lymph nodes, and feeling tired. This is followed by a rash that forms blisters and crusts over. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is around 10 days. The duration of symptoms is typically two to four weeks.Monkeypox may be spread from handling bushmeat, an animal bite or scratch, body fluids, contaminated objects, or close contact with an infected person. The virus is believed to normally circulate among certain rodents in Africa. Diagnosis can be confirmed by testing a lesion for the virus's DNA. The disease can appear similar to chickenpox.The smallpox vaccine can prevent infection with 85% effectiveness. In 2019, a monkeypox vaccine was approved in the United States. There are no monkeypox-specific treatments. Cidofovir or brincidofovir may be useful. In Africa, reports of the risk of death are as high as 10%.The disease mostly occurs in Central and West Africa. It was first identified in 1958 among laboratory monkeys. The first cases in humans were found in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An outbreak that occurred in the United States in 2003 was traced to a pet store where rodents imported from Ghana were sold. The first cases of widespread community transmission of monkeypox outside of Africa occurred in an outbreak in the United Kingdom in May 2022, which is currently ongoing.

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