Explained: What Is Monkeypox And How Is Spreading In European Countries

After 8 men developed symptoms consistent with the viral infection that has already been detected in the United Kingdom and Portugal, Spanish health officials issued an advisory about a potential epidemic of monkeypox.

The ministry of health warned in a statement that the 8 reported cases ¨C all within the Madrid region ¨C are yet to be confirmed, but a country wide warning had already been released "to ensure a smooth, synchronised, and quick resolution."

What is the monkeypox virus?

Reuters

The monkeypox virus belongs to the orthopoxvirus genus, which further consists of the variola virus, that also causes smallpox, and the vaccinia virus, that was utilised in the production for smallpox vaccine. Monkeypox has symptoms related to smallpox, but it is considered less serious.

It was named after two epidemics of a pox-like disease that happened in lab monkeys held for research in 1958.

The virus's natural host is still unknown. However, the disease occurs in a variety of animals. Monkeys and apes, as well as a range of rodents (including rats, mice, squirrels, and prairie dogs), and rabbits, are identified to be carriers of the Monkeypox virus.

Whereas vaccination eradicated smallpox globally in 1980, monkeypox remains in a good amount of Central and West African nations and has emerged on occasion elsewhere.

The WHO has recognised two distinct subgenus, namely the West African subgenus and the Congo Basin subgenus, also known as the Central African clade.

This has since primarily been reported from rural and tropical forest areas in Western and Central Africa. Monkeypox is considered endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Currently, two major varieties or clades of the virus have been identified: one in the Congo Basin (Central Africa) and the other from West Africa.

What are the symptoms, and how is it transmitted?

Monkeypox is typically a mild "self-limiting disease," with most individuals recovering within several weeks, as per the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The incubation period of the virus, or the duration between contracting the virus and illnesses occurring, is "generally from 6 to 13 days but can also range from 5 to 21 days," according to the WHO.

According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), monkeypox symptoms are related to smallpox but less severe. The main difference between the 2 illness' symptoms is that monkeypox induces nodes in lymphatic vessels to swell. Flu, headache, muscle pain, back pain, shivers, and fatigue are a few of the symptoms. Rashes appear first on the face and then spread to other areas of the skin. This involves several steps of development prior to actually forming a scab that ends up falling off.

nobeastsofierce / Shutterstock.com

Most patients recover within several weeks, but in certain cases, chronic conditions may occur. In the overall population, the mortality rate for monkeypox varies between zero and eleven percent, with younger people being more vulnerable. In Africa, one in every ten people who developed symptoms died as a result of the virus.

The virus is transmitted primarily from animals to humans. It can eventuate through close interaction with infected animals' blood, body fluid, or skin or mucus lesions (fractured or damaged parts). Consuming raw meat as well as other animal goods from infected animals may also pose a risk. Monkeypox has been spotted in a range of African species of animals, such as rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rodents, dormice, and various monkey species.

The "natural reservoir of monkeypox has not yet been identified, though rodents are the most likely," according to the WHO.

According to the WHO, supplementary or human-to-human transmission is relatively limited. The UKHSA has also stated that monkeypox is not transmitted directly among humans and that "the absolute danger to the public at large is very limited."

It can spread in living beings via respiratory secretions, skin conditions, mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth), and infected items such as infected people's bedsheets.

What triggered this outbreak?

Recently, the UKHSA became Europe's 1st health board to officially notify a case of monkeypox in a human who had recently travelled from Nigeria to the UK.

Stock Image

Since then, it has stated 6 more cases and said that it was looking into connections between 4 of them, all of whom emerge to have been contaminated in London and all of whom self-identify as gay, bisexual, or other men who have sexual relationship with men.

"We are especially urging gay and bisexual men to be aware of any unusual rashes or lesions and to contact a sexual health service as soon as possible," said Dr Susan Hopkins, the agency's chief medical adviser, as euronews reported. The UKHSA advised looking out for nodules on the genital area in specific.

Previously, Britain noted 3 incidents of monkeypox, 2 including individuals living in the same household as well as the 3rd encompassing somebody who had moved to Nigeria, where this illness is widespread in animals.

How can it be treated and prevented?

According to health experts, there is no particular medication for monkeypox at the moment. A few studies, however, found that the Vaccinia vaccine, which was used to prevent smallpox, had an 85 percent effectiveness in monkeypox prevention. Although the initial smallpox vaccine would no longer be usable due to the disease's eradication, a latest version of Vaccinia has been approved in 2019 for monkeypox prevention.

Previous outbreaks

Monkeypox cases were reported in 11 African nations since 1970, such as the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, and South Sudan. Till date, cases were reported in fifteen states across 4 continents.

The first human incident of the virus outside of Africa was reported in 2003, when an epidemic in the US resulted in 47 confirmed and probable cases in 6 countries.

AP

Those who became infected had contact with animal prairie dogs. The dogs became infected after being housed in close quarters with mammalian species sourced from Ghana at an animal distributor's facility in Illinois.

The imported species comprised 800 small mammals from 9 different species, with 6 of them being rodents. As per the CDC, "no cases of monkeypox infection were solely attributed to person-to-person contact."

Nigeria reported the highest recorded outbreak of monkeypox in 2017, forty years since the last known case of the virus. As per the BBC, there were approximately 170 cases reported of the virus, with approximately 75% of those infected being men between the ages of 21 and 40.

Aside from the existing reported case, the UK has confirmed 3 cases of monkeypox in 2018, all in 2018. Two of the incidents involved people who'd already travelled to Nigeria, and the 3rd involved a healthcare professional who had interaction with one of the infected individuals previous to their treatment. In 2019, Israel confirmed an incident of monkeypox, and Singapore reported a case in 2019.

Both were discovered among those who had moved to Nigeria.

Two cases of monkeypox were confirmed in the US last year, in Texas and Baltimore, with both persons arriving back from Nigeria.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.