Monkey Pox
All the information you need about this disease
KTI
What
is Monkey pox?
- Historical
Aspect.
Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a
painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and
low energy. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. And it’s
considered as a Zoonotic disease.
The monkeypox virus was
discovered in Denmark (1958) in monkeys kept for research. The first reported
human case of mpox was a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (1970). Following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the end of smallpox
vaccination worldwide, mpox steadily emerged in central, east and west Africa.
Since then, mpox has been reported sporadically in central and east Africa
(clade I) and west Africa (clade II). In 2003, an outbreak in the United States
of America was linked to imported wild animals (clade II). Since 2005,
thousands of cases are reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo every
year. In 2017, mpox re-emerged in Nigeria and continues to spread between
people across the country and in travellers to other destinations.
In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox
appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas and then all
six WHO regions. The global outbreak has affected primarily (but not only) gay,
bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and has spread person-to-person
through sexual networks. In 2022, outbreaks of mpox due to clade I occurred in
refugee camps in the Republic of the Sudan.
Since 2022, there has also been
an upsurge in mpox cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In
some areas of the country, a new offshoot of clade I, called clade Ib, has been
spreading person-to-person. As of mid-2024, the clade has also been reported in
other countries.
- Microbiological Aspect.
Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family, which includes variola, cowpox, vaccinia and other viruses. There are two distinct clades of the virus: clade I (with subclades Ia and Ib) and clade II (with subclades IIa and IIb).
- Transmission.
1-Mpox spreads from person to
person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including
members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching
or sex) and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing), and it
can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking
or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory
particles).
People with multiple sexual
partners are at higher risk of acquiring mpox.
2-People can also contract mpox
from contaminated objects such as clothing or linen, through needle injuries in
health care, or in community settings such as tattoo parlours.
3-Animal-to-human transmission of mpox occurs
from infected animals to humans from bites or scratches, or during activities
such as hunting, skinning, trapping, cooking, playing with carcasses or eating
animals. The most suspicious animals are monkeys, rats, squirrel.
4-During pregnancy or birth, the virus may be passed to the
baby. Contracting mpox during pregnancy can be dangerous for the fetus or
newborn infant and can lead to loss of the pregnancy, stillbirth, death of the
newborn, or complications for the parent.
- Signs and Symptoms.
Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week
but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but
may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.
Common symptoms of mpox
are:
- rash
- fever
- sore throat
- headache
- muscle aches
- back pain
- low energy
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Complications.
- Infection
with bacteria.
- Pneumonia
- Corneal
infection with vision loss.
- Pain
or difficulty swallowing.
- Vomiting
and Diarrhea causing dehydration and malnutrition.
- Sepsis.
- Encephalitis.
- Myocarditis.
- Proctitis.
- Balanitis.
- Urethritis.
- Death.
- Treatment
and Prevention.
The goal of treating mpox is to
take care of the rash, manage pain and prevent complications. Early and supportive
care is important to help manage symptoms and avoid further problems.
Getting an mpox vaccine can help
prevent infection (pre-exposure prophylaxis). It is recommended for people at
high-risk of getting mpox, especially during an outbreak.
Groups that may be at high risk
of mpox include:
Health and care workers at risk
of exposure;
People in the same household or
close community as someone who has mpox, including children.
People who have multiple sex
partners, including men who have sex with men.
The vaccine can also be
administered after a person has been in contact with someone who has mpox
(post-exposure prophylaxis). In these cases, the vaccine should be given less
than 4 days after contact with someone who has mpox. The vaccine can be given
for up to 14 days if the person has not developed symptoms.
Some antivirals have received
emergency use authorization in some countries and are being evaluated in
clinical trials. To date, there is no proven effective antiviral treatment for
mpox. It is a priority to continue evaluation of therapeutics in robust
clinical trials and to focus on optimizing supportive care for patients.
- Self-care and Prevention.
Most people with mpox will
recover within 2–4 weeks. Things to do to help the symptoms and prevent
transmitting mpox to others:
Do
*Contact your health care provider
for advice;
*Stay at home and in your own,
well-ventilated room if possible;
*Wash hands often with soap and
water or hand sanitizer, especially before or after touching sores;
*Wear a mask and cover lesions
when around other people until your rash heals;
*Keep skin dry and uncovered
(unless in a room with someone else);
*Avoid touching items in shared
spaces and disinfect shared spaces frequently.
*Use saltwater rinses for sores in
the mouth;
*Take warm baths with baking soda
or Epsom salts for body sores; and
*Take over-the-counter medications
for pain like paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen.
Do not
*pop blisters or scratch sores,
which can slow healing, spread the rash to other parts of the body, and cause
sores to become infected.
*shave areas with sores until
scabs have healed and you have new skin underneath (this can spread the rash to
other parts of the body).
- Epidemiology.
Data from 01 January 2022 to 31 July 2024:-
-Total cases: 102 997
-Total deaths: 223
-Countries reporting cases: 121
-Total cases in July 2024: 1 425
-Total deaths in July 2024: 6
-Countries reporting cases in July
2024: 35
-Case reported in Iraq and Kurdistan: 0