CNN/Monkeypox imaging close up Not long ago, on August 4th, the United States officially declared monkeypox a “national public health emergency”, according to an article published by science.org. With the United States being at the forefront of case inflations in relation to monkeypox, the government has ensured that all research related to the behavioral aspects of the monkeypox virus will be made public to help curtail its spread and disregard any fallacies surrounding the disease.
Just like with the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, the proprietors of the monkeypox disease seem to be overwhelmingly coming from cases of sexual contact between homosexual males. But that is not to generalize that and say that monkeypox has one sole method of transmission.
Demetre Daskalakis, a public physician overseeing the HIV/AIDS prevention sector at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, made a statement that summarized this sentiment, “While we know that monkeypox is not exclusively a sexually transmitted virus, we also recognized early on that this virus was spreading more rapidly and differently than we’ve seen in prior outbreaks,” Daskalakis noted while at a press conference on August 4th.“We have plans to provide technical assistance to state and local health departments to develop and ramp up non stigmatizing messaging,” he assured.
Current Research
According to information cited directly from the Center for Disease Control website, monkeypox “can be spread to anyone through close, personal, often skin-to-skin contact.” Sexual contact is included in the transmission list, but several other inadvertent methods exist as well. These include:
● Contact or touching of a monkeypox rash, scabs, or bodily fluids from an infected person
● Direct contact with fabrics (clothing, bed sheets, and towels) and other surfaces that have previously been contaminated by someone with the disease
● Contact with respiratory omissions (spit particles from coughing, sneezing, or kissing)
● Any form of sexual contact with a contaminated person
● A pregnant individual can transmit the disease “to their fetus through the placenta.”
● Contact with infected animals, either through scratching/biting or by consuming contaminated meat
Although research is still being conducted and solidified surrounding the virus, there are some sureties. The monkeypox disease lasts a duration of two to four weeks, and a person with monkeypox can give it to others from anywhere between the beginning to the end of this window.
Revealing Signs and Symptoms
The CDC makes it clear that people infected by the monkeypox virus may endure anywhere from no symptoms to all available symptoms.
Symptoms of monkeypox include, “a fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, respiratory symptoms, a rash that may be located on or near the genitals, but could also be on other areas like the hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth.”
The rash may feel initially painful or itchy, and can appear akin to pimples or pink/purple blisters. Flu-like symptoms, like a sore throat, cough, or nasal congestion, usually precede the appearance of a rash, which appears around four days later.
Precautionary Steps and What to do If You Have a New Rash
The CDC strongly advises that any individuals who detect an inexplicable rash or set of the aforementioned symptoms should strongly avoid close contact, including sexual or intimate contact with a partner, until they have visited either a health insurance provider or a public health clinic in their area.
It is also encouraged to stay vigilant against monkeypox’s transmission by donning a mask in select situations, including visits to health care providers or in areas with congested crowds.
As always, the most crucial prevention step for monkeypox is to get vaccinated. The primary vaccine to safeguard against the virus is JYNNEOS, which is considered a “two-dose vaccine”.
Avoiding skin-to-skin contact, as well as indirect contact, with individuals who have a monkeypox rash is integral for its prevention. Washing one’s hands and regularly using hand sanitizer and hygiene products remains a solid method to safeguard against germs. Especially for citizens or visitors of Central and West Africa, it is crucial to avoid proximity to rodents and infected primates, as well as ill or dead animal carcasses.
Remaining educated on the emerging research surrounding monkeypox will ensure that the United States curbs the spread of the disease, and any fear and unrest around it. The good news is that monkeypox is being regarded as far less fatally dangerous than COVID-19. We must remain vigilant in our hygienic standards and keep abiding by advice from accredited world health organizations.
Comments