Explainer: How Is This Monkeypox Outbreak Different From Earlier Ones

The outbreak of monkeypox has been deemed a public health emergency of global significance by the World Health Organisation, despite the fact that most people have never heard of the disease.

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Scientists have been concerned about the possibility of a monkeypox outbreak for well over a decade. With nearly 16,000 reported cases worldwide and counting, it seems we have reached the stage.

A global health emergency

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Monkeypox was recently deemed a worldwide health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The disturbing fact that more than 18000 cases have been reported in those nations where there have never been occurrences of monkeypox has drawn the attention of health officials and specialists. There have been 19,000 cases reported worldwide in 76 countries.

The results of a recent study have offered light on how this outbreak is different from others, even though the focus right now is on tracking the cases and testing individuals. According to a research study, the symptoms of the monkeypox outbreak in 2022 will be distinct from those of the earlier outbreaks. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the symptoms seen in instances of monkeypox this year are very dissimilar from those seen during the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2007-11 and Nigeria in 2017-2018.

What are its new symptoms?

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According to the research study, patients in this outbreak frequently experience rectal pain and penile swelling. The study is based on 197 men who were proven positive for monkeypox, 196 of them identified as gay, bisexual, or having sex with other men.

Lesions of various forms and sizes appear on the body throughout the present outbreak in stages. Usually crimson spots, the lesions are fluid-filled with pathogens.

The study discovered that 56% of the lesions are detected in the genitals and 42% in the perianal region, which is relevant to the new symptoms it has asserted. For the first time, lesions have been discovered close to the vaginal area. Prior to this, the lesions were always seen on other areas of the body, such as the head, arms, and legs.

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The lesions were primarily found in the head and limbs between 2007 and 2011. Lesions were primarily found on the face, legs, and trunk during the previous monkeypox outbreak in Nigeria, which occurred in 2017¨C2018.

The are different stages of lesions seen during monkeypox:

Macules: Lesions with a flat base

Papules: Slightly raised firm lesions

Vesicles: Lesions filled with clear fluid

Pustules: Lesions filled with yellowish fluid

Crusts which dry and fall off

Lesions can be seen in the face, palms of the hands and soles of the feet, oral mucous membranes, genitals, conjunctiva and cornea.

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transmission is more likely in asymptomatic cases

Asymptomatic cases have once again posed a risk to public health. One of the main reasons the COVID pandemic took an unpleasant turn and so many individuals contracted it was because of these situations.

A disease can be identified by its symptoms. However, in asymptomatic cases, there are no outward signs of illness, and the person is otherwise healthy¡ªexcept that they still harbour the dangerous virus in their bodies and are just as likely to spread it as someone who is obviously ill.

Except for 26.5 percent of the cohort, the study discovered that the other participants had no interaction with anyone who had been diagnosed with monkeypox. This raised the idea that either these people got the illness from an asymptomatic person or from someone who had minor symptoms.

Due to this, individuals were recommended to get tested during the COVID epidemic even if they had no symptoms.

Who is at risk?

According to the most recent data, 81 children under the age of 17 are said to have been infected worldwide. Dr. Rosamund Lewis, WHO Technical Lead, who shared this statistics at a press conference, stated that the median age is 37 years in the majority of instances, which are among young men.

There is a general idea that

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is limited to those group of men who have sex with other men. However, this is not the case everywhere. ¡°At the moment the outbreak is still concentrated in groups of men who have sex with men in some countries, but that is not the case everywhere,¡± Dr Lewis has said and has urged to not stigmatise any individual. ¡°It is really important to appreciate also that stigma and discrimination can be very damaging and as dangerous as any virus itself,¡± she said.

However, monkeypox symptoms linger for two to four weeks because it is a self-limiting illness. The patient's level of viral exposure directly relates to how serious the infection is. According to the WHO, complications of monkeypox can include secondary infections, bronchopneumonia, sepsis, encephalopathy, and corneal infections with subsequent vision loss.

Also, it has a fatality rate that can range from 0% to 11%, with youngsters having a higher ratio. According to the WHO, the case mortality rate has been between 3 and 6 percent recently.