We've just had Covid - in reality we are still having it - and yet already a new disease is spreading and gaining a lot of media attention: monkeypox. While still far from Covid in how far it has spread, it is worrying to have a new potential global health crisis before we've even finished the last. But what is this new disease? Let's take a look.
What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is called 'monkeypox' because it was first discovered in monkeys in 1958. It is a disease that can spread from animals to humans, and the first time it was detected in humans was in 1970. The spreading of the disease happens when a human come into physical contact with an infected animal. The disease likewise spreads from person to person through close contact with someone infected. This can be face-to-face or skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. It is also possible to get infected by touching items an infectous person has touched, or from breathing in virus from items touched by an infected person. Just touching somehting doesn't immediately mean the virus is transfered; it is mainly contact with one of the lesions infected people get. It is possible to be asymptomatic, but it is not yet known if people without symptoms can spread the disease.
Monkeypox can create many symptoms. The most common ones are a lot like the Covid symptoms: headache, fever, low energy and muscle aches. However, this is followed by rashes that can appear on any part of the body, even in the eyes, mouth and genital area. The rashes start out flat and then fill with liquid, turning into lesions. They then crust over and fall off when new skin has formed underneath. The lesions are described as very painful, and symptoms usually last about two to four weeks. People with monkeypox only stop being infectous when all the lesions have completely disappeared. In most cases, monkeypox symptoms disappear on their own, however, some people do experience complications, and it can, in worst case, lead to death if not treated.
The current outbreak As mentioned earlier, monkeypox isn't a new disease. There have been regular outbreaks in parts of Central and West Africa, with some countries only having a few cases and others persisent outbreaks. These countries, such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are currently experiencing many more cases than ususal.
The main difference with the current outbreak is that it is a multi-country outbreak in places where the virus hasn't been found before, and cases have been reported in more than 50 countries. Many of the current cases have been identified among men who have sex with men and who have recently had new or multiple sex partners. As the disease is transfered through close physical contact and can be transmitted through kissing, touching or any kind of sex, there might currently be a bigger risk at catching the disease for men who have sex with men. The World health Organisation therefore recommends that anyone with new and unusual rashes or lesions avoid any kind of sexual interaction until they have been checked for diseases, both for monkeypox and sexually transmitted infections, as monkeypox symptoms can resemble those from herpes and syphilis. Unlike those, condoms doesn't protect from monkeypox.
Is there a vaccine? Monkeypox is from the same virus type as the eradicated disease smallpox, which means the vaccines for that migth work somewhat on monkeypox too. One vaccine has already been approved for preventing monkeypox. However, the World Health Organisation does not yet recommend mass vacination, but only vaccination of those who are at risk, for example by being a close contact to someone with monkeypox.
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