What is monkey pox? its signs & symptoms and outbreak 2024

 

What is monkey pox?

Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease which is endemic to certain part of Africa. It comes from the orthopox genus and a family of poxviridae, pox viruses are the enveloped largest viruses with linear double stranded DNA. DNA dependent RNA polymerase in virion. One serologic type.

Types of pox viruses:

The pox viruses consist of the following types 

1. Small pox
2. Chicken pox
3. Monkey pox
4. cow pox

Small pox also called as variola virus and it is the only human disease that has been eradicated from the face of the earth by the widespread use of small pox vaccine. The last known case was in 1977 in Somalia.

chicken pox is rare disease but it do found in people in India it is present in 10 lac people per year.

Now as the small pox has been eradicated the only challenges we are facing because of the pox viruses is  of chicken and monkey pox 

Origin of monkey pox/ Why it is called as monkey pox?

A research was done for the outbreaks in 1958 in a  group of monkeys in this virus was found in monkeys first  that's why it is called as monkey pox virus.

Four poxviruses cause disease in animals and also cause pox like lesions in humans on rare occasions. they are transmitted by contact with infected animals, usually in an occupational setting.

cowpox virus causes vesicular lesions on the udders of cows and can cause similar lesions on the skin of persons who milk cows.

Monkey pox virus is different from the other three: it causes a human disease that resemble small pox.

It occur almost exclusively in central Africa. In 2003, an outbreak of monkey pox occurred in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. In this outbreak, the source of the virus was animal imported from Africa. 

It appears that the virus from the imported animals infected local prairie dogs, which then were the source of the human infection. None of those affected died. In Africa, monkey pox has a death rate of between 1%  and 10%, in contrast to 50% for small pox.

Does Small pox vaccine works on monkey pox?

There is no effective antiviral treatment. The vaccine against small pox appears to have some protective effect against monkey pox.

Any new case of smallpox like disease must be precisely diagnosed to ensure that it is not due to small pox. There has not been a case of small pox in  the world since 1977, and small pox immunization has been allowed to lapse.

For these reasons, it is important to ensure that new cases of small pox like disease are due to monkey pox virus. Monkey pox virus can be distinguished from small pox virus in the laboratory both antigenically and by the distinctive lesions it causes on the chorioallantoic membrane of  chicken eggs.

Signs and symptoms of monkey pox:

Transmission of monkey pox

Monkey pox virus can infect a person when a person eats infected animal meat, bite from an infected animal and also from an infected person via direct contact or from the secretions of the infected person. As shown in the picture below

 Initial symptoms:

The incubation period of monkey pox is about 6-13 days while duration of disease is 2-4 weeks

The initial symptoms of monkey pox includes symptoms like flu which;

1. Fever
2. Fatigue
3. Headache
4. Back ache
5. Shivering
6. Swollen lymph nodes
7. Sore throat/cough

Blisters/rash appearance:

These initial symptoms lasts for about 2 to 3 days after this the appearance of blisters/ rash appears on the skin and at starting it occurs on the face but it then spread from centre to peripheries. initially these blisters appears just as a rash then it  filled with  water and then it become dry leaving a kind of scab/scar. 

According to WHO the death ratio of monkey pox is 3-6%.

In children, pregnant women and those whose having weak immune system are most likely to have serious infection.

As shown in the picture below;

Treatment of monkey pox:

There is no specific treatment of monkey pox and mostly the symptoms get disappear in 2 to 4 weeks as our immune system fight against it that's why it do not require any treatment. 

Though the following things should be done 

• The infected person has to maintain good diet and hydration and should isolate itself for 21 days so that it cant spread and infect other healthy people.
• Usage of antiviral medications in case of sever infection from monkey pox like pneumonia, eye infection etc.
• Those who have been contacted with the infected persons can be immunized with small pox vaccine so that to decrease the chances of monkey pox symptoms occurrence as because it works against monkey pox in about 85% of people.
• Usage of analgesics for relieving pain.

Prevention of monkey pox:

• Avoid close contact with infected person until and unless the infected person rashes completely healed.
• Avoid close contact with animals.
• Avoid touching the things used by the infected persons such as towel etc.
• Wash your hand with soap.
• Do vaccination which is effective against small and monkey pox.
• Health care workers in Laboratory should take care of their selves using the safety precautions.

Monkey pox outbreak 2024:

The monkey pox was first discovered in monkeys in 1958 and the first human case was reported in 1970 in Congo

Few days ago the WHO declared the monkey pox as a global public health emergency  as because of the new cases almost all around the world including India, Pakistan, Sweden, Philippines etc. and  also because of the  new strain called as CLADE1 was find out which appears to spread more easily