Monkeypox, a form of viral virus more frequent in west and central Africa, is on the rise in Europe and abroad, according to global health officials.

According to the World Health Organization, 80 monkeypox cases have been verified and another 50 are being investigated in 11 countries as of Friday (WHO). continue reading What is known about the present outbreak and the danger of monkeypox is as follows:

At this moment, the risk to the general population is low, according to a US public health expert speaking to media on Friday.

The virus that causes monkeypox can cause symptoms such as fever, pains, and a unique bumpy rash.

It is linked to smallpox but is usually milder, especially the West African strain of the virus found in a case in the United States, which has a fatality rate of around 1 per cent. According to the authority, most people recover in two to four weeks.

The virus is not as easily spread as the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which caused the global COVID-19 epidemic.

The current monkeypox outbreak, according to experts, is spreading through close, personal skin-to-skin contact with someone who has an active rash. Once illnesses are recognised, experts believe it will be easier to contain the spread.

“COVID is spread by respiratory route and is highly infectious. This doesn’t appear to be the case with the monkeypox,” said Dr. Martin Hirsch of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Many, but not all, of the patients diagnosed with monkeypox in this outbreak have had intercourse with men, including cases in Spain related to a sauna in the Madrid region. According to the WHO, the new outbreaks are uncommon because they are occurring in countries where the virus does not normally circulate. Scientists are trying to figure out where the current cases came from and if the virus has mutated in any way.

The majority of the cases recorded thus far have been found in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal.

There have been cases in Canada and Australia, and a single case of monkeypox has been verified in Boston, with public health officials predicting that additional cases may emerge in the US.

More illnesses are likely to emerge as people gather for festivals, parties, and holidays throughout Europe and worldwide during the approaching summer months, according to WHO officials.

The UK has begun immunising healthcare workers who may be exposed to monkeypox while caring for patients with the smallpox vaccination, which also protects against the disease. The US government claims to have enough smallpox vaccine in its Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to vaccinate the entire population of the United States.

In some cases, antiviral medications used to treat smallpox could also be used to cure monkeypox, according to a representative for the US Department of Health and Human Services.

People should avoid close personal contact with someone who has a rash sickness or is otherwise ill, according to health officials. People who have monkeypox should isolate themselves and seek medical help.

“Viruses are nothing new and expected,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

According to Rasmussen, a number of reasons have accelerated the emergence and transmission of viruses, including greater worldwide travel and climate change. In the aftermath of the COVID epidemic, the world is also more attentive to emerging outbreaks of any kind, she added.

(Adapted from Reuters.com)