Monkeypox is a major global public health disease, affecting not only countries in West and Central Africa, but also the rest of the world.
Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the genu Orthopoxvirus, of the family Poxviridae.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis that occurs mainly in tropical forest areas of central and western Africa and is sporadically exported to other regions. An antiviral developed for the treatment of monkeypox has also been licensed for the treatment of monkeypox. smallpox.
The infection can be divided into two periods:
The period of invasion (lasts between 0 and 5 days), characterized by fever, severe headache, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), low back pain, myalgia (muscle pain) and severe asthenia (lack of energy). Lymphadenopathy is a distinctive feature of monkeypox that differentiates it from other diseases that may initially appear similar (varicella, measles, smallpox).
The skin rash usually begins 1-3 days after the onset of fever and tends to be concentrated primarily on the face and extremities rather than the trunk. The most affected areas are the face (in 95% of cases), the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet (in 75% of cases). The oral mucosa (in 70% of cases), the genitalia (30%) and the conjunctiva (20%) are also affected, as is the cornea. The rash progresses sequentially from macules (lesions with a flat base) to papules (firm, slightly raised lesions), vesicles (clear fluid-filled lesions), pustules (yellowish fluid-filled lesions), and crusts that dry and fall off. The number of injuries varies from a few to several thousand. In severe cases, the lesions can coalesce and cause large sections of skin to slough off.
Why monkeypox will not become a global pandemic like Covid-19
Specialists reassure the world population facing the scenario of a global pandemic due to monkeypox. They explain that the disease is not new, its spread is not as fast and transmission only occurs through close contact with infectious material. Do not be alarmed.
Signs and symptoms
The incubation period (interval between infection and onset of symptoms) for monkeypox is usually 6 to 13 days, although it can range from 5 to 21 days.