MONKEYPOX: All you need to know, Signs, Symptoms, and Precautions.

 Lagos and Adamawa states had the highest numbers, with three each, as Nigeria recorded 15 confirmed cases of monkeypox in seven states between January 1 and April 30, 2022; although there are no reported active cases. The Nigeria Center for Disease Control disclosed this in its latest Monkeypox Situation Report on Tuesday, May 10, 2022; although no death was recorded as a result of the disease that year.  The NCDC situation report states: “Since September 2017, Nigeria has continued to report sporadic cases of monkeypox. The Monkeypox National Technical Working Group has been monitoring cases and strengthening preparedness/response capacity.” 

What is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinal virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and vaccinia virus. Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a smallpox-like disease occurred in research monkey colonies, hence the name "monkeypox". ). It was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970 during a period of increased efforts to eradicate smallpox. It has since been reported in people in several other Central and West African countries.

How is the disease spread?

Dr Colin Brown, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections, UKHSA, said: "It is important to stress that monkeypox does not spread easily between humans and the overall risk to the general public is very low." You can catch monkeypox by touching an infected person's spots or scabs, or their clothing or bedding, and it can be transmitted by sneezing and coughing. However, human-to-human transmission of the virus is considered unlikely. The virus is more likely to have come from direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected animal. 

Signs and symptoms

In humans, monkeypox symptoms are similar but milder than smallpox symptoms. The main difference between the symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell while smallpox does not.  Monkeypox has eight symptoms that typically do not appear for at least five days. This "incubation period" can last up to 13 or 21 days before it's clear that the person has monkeypox.  In the first five days, the symptoms are; a high temperature of 38°C or more, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen glands, chills, fatigue and a rash that may become crusted and fluid-filled. The rash usually appears within the first five days. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 95 percent of the rash affects the face and 75 percent affects the hands.  Prevention 

Several measures can be taken to prevent monkeypox virus infection. This includes avoiding contact with animals that could be harbouring the virus (including sick or dead animals in areas where monkeypox occurs); Avoiding contact with materials such as bedding that has come into contact with a sick animal and isolating infected patients from others who may be at risk of infection. Others are practising good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitiser, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients. 

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