Monkey pox prevalence

Mpox (monkeypox) is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. Human mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). The disease is endemic in some regions of Central and West Africa. However, outbreaks outside of the African continent have also occurred.

In August 2024, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared public health emergencies over a large epidemic of MPXV clade I in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several other African countries.

How do I know I have Monkey pox?

Signs and symptoms of Mpox

Patients present the following symptoms:

• Skin rash or mucosal lesions
• Headache
• Fever
• Sorethroat
• Rash
• Muscle aches
• Itchiness
• Back pain
• Lethargy
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Other common diseases may present with similar features, including chicken pox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, allergic reactions, among others.
• Some people may have one or a few skin lesions and others have hundreds or more. These can appear anywhere on the body such as the:
  -palms of hands and soles of feet
  -face, mouth and throat
  -groin and genital areas anus

• Some people also have painful swelling of their rectum or pain and difficulty when peeing.
• People with mpox are infectious and can pass the disease on to others until all sores have healed and a new layer of skin has formed.
• Children, pregnant people and people with weak immune systems are at risk for complications from mpox.

Complications in Monkey Pox(M-Pox)

Complications in endemic countries include encephalitis, secondary bacterial skin infections, dehydration, conjunctivitis, keratitis, and pneumonia.
 

Transmission

People at risk to get M-POX

People who closely interact with an infectious person, such as healthcare workers, household members (including children), sexual partners, and sex workers are at greater risk of infection

Anyone can get mpox. It spreads from Person-to-person by contact with infected:

• direct contact with infectious skin or other lesions such as the mouth or on the genitals
• The disease can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets.
• persons, through touch, kissing, or sex
• animals, when hunting, skinning, or cooking them
• materials, such as contaminated sheets, clothes or needles
• pregnant persons, who may pass the virus on to their unborn baby

If you have mpox:

• Tell anyone you have been close to recently
• Stay at home until all scabs fall off and a new layer of skin forms
• Cover lesions and wear a well-fitting mask when around other people
• Avoid physical contact

Prevention

• Mpox Vaccine- The vaccine should be given within 4 days of contact with someone who has mpox (or within up to 14 days if there are no symptoms).
• Wash hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer.
• If you have symptoms, seek health advice and avoid close contact with other people and visit the nearest health facility for management.
• Avoid close contact with people with suspected or confirmed diseases.

Management of MPOX

M-pox usually resolves without complications within 2-4 weeks. Symptomatic treatment should be offered to patients if necessary. Complicated cases should be referred to medical professionals for specialized treatment.
 

Things to do to help the symptoms

Home remedies

• Take over-the-counter medications for pain or aches, fever and sore throat example effervescent Paracetamol like Cipladon 1000mg and Cipladon 500mg for fast symptom relief.
• Stay home and in your own room if possible
• Wash hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer, especially before or after touching sores
• Wear a mask and cover lesions when around other people until your rash heals
• Keep skin dry and uncovered (unless in a room with someone else)
• Avoid touching items in shared spaces and disinfect shared spaces frequently
• Use saltwater rinses for sores in the mouth
• DO NOT Pop blisters or scratch sores, which can slow healing, spread the rash to other parts of the body, and cause sores to become infected
• DO NOT Shave areas with sores until scabs have healed and you have new skin underneath (this can spread the rash to other parts of the body)

Disclaimer: The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Sources:

1. European Commission (EC). Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/945 of 22 June 2018 on the communicable diseases and related special health issues to be covered by epidemiological surveillance as well as relevant case definitions. Brussels: Official Journal of the European Union; 2018. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32018D0945(link is external)
2. Damon IK. Status of human monkeypox: clinical disease, epidemiology and research. Vaccine. 2011;29:D54-9. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22185831(link is external)
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Multistate outbreak of monkeypox– Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, 2003. JAMA. 2003 Jul 2;290(1):30-1. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12837702(link is external)
4. International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Poxviridae. Available at: https://ictv.global/report_9th/dsDNA/poxviridae
5. Rheinbaben Fv, Gebel J, Exner M, Schmidt A. Environmental resistance, disinfection, and sterilization of poxviruses. In: Poxviruses. Basel: Springer; 2007. p. 397-405