According to a statement released by the World Health Organization, roughly 80 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed, with recent outbreaks recorded in 11 countries.

According to the WHO, the outbreaks are uncommon since they are occurring in countries where the virus is not prevalent. As surveillance expands, it is expected that more incidents will be recorded in the coming days.

“WHO is working with the affected countries and others to expand disease surveillance to find and support people who may be affected, and to provide guidance on how to manage the disease,” the agency said.

According to the German military, hundreds of cases have been confirmed in the continent’s greatest monkeypox outbreak ever. At least one case has been confirmed in the United States, and two have been confirmed in Canada. According to the WHO, monkeypox is most commonly seen in Central and West African rainforests among animals that carry the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made this electron microscope image accessible in 2003, which shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions on the left and round immature virions on the right, taken from a sample of human skin connected with the 2003 prairie dog pitbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made this electron microscope image accessible in 2003, which shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions on the left and round immature virions on the right, taken from a sample of human skin connected with the 2003 prairie dog epidemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monkeypox is a disease caused by a virus that is related to smallpox but is less severe. According to the CDC, monkeypox can cause death in as many as 1 in 10 people who develop the disease, based on observations in Africa.

According to the WHO and the CDC, observational studies in Africa show that the smallpox vaccine is 85 per cent effective in preventing monkeypox.

Monkeypox is spread through close contact with sick people, animals, or materials. Broken skin, the respiratory tract, the eyes, nose, and mouth are all places where it enters the body. Though respiratory droplets are thought to transmit disease from person to person, the CDC states that this approach requires prolonged face-to-face contact because the droplets can only travel a few feet.

According to the CDC, monkeypox commonly starts with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pains, chills, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. Patients develop a rash that starts on the face and spreads to other body areas one to three days after the onset of fever. The ailment lasts two to four weeks on average.

“As monkeypox spreads through close contact, the response should focus on the people affected and their close contacts,” the WHO said. Health-care workers, household members and sexual partners of people who have the virus are at greater risk of disease.

On Wednesday, the CDC verified a monkeypox case in Massachusetts. The individual had lately travelled to Canada by private vehicle. According to a health department statement released on Thursday, New York City is investigating a probable monkeypox case.

In 2003, the United States had the first monkeypox outbreak outside of Africa, which was triggered by human contact with sick prairie dogs kept as pets. More than 70 cases were documented as a result of the outbreak.

(Adapted from ThePrint.in)