What Is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease and symptoms in humans are similar to those seen in smallpox patients in the past. But since smallpox was eliminated in the world in 1980, smallpox no longer exists, and monkeypox is still circulating in parts of Africa.

Basic Information

Visiting department

Infectious Diseases

Common locations

Face, palms and soles, torso

Common causes

Monkeypox virus

Common symptoms

Fever, severe headache, lymphadenopathy, back pain, rash, muscle pain, etc.

Contagious

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Causes of monkeypox

Monkeypox virus and variola virus belong to the same orthopoxvirus genus, and the monkeypox virus has a rectangular shape. It can be grown in kidney cells of African green monkeys and cause cytopathic changes. Humans are infected with monkeypox, mainly by being bitten by an infected animal, or by direct contact with the blood, body fluids, or monkeypox lesions of the infected animal; usually passed from animal to human, even from human to human Acne spread. It is generally believed to be transmitted through direct, prolonged face-to-face contact through toxic large respiratory droplets. In addition, monkeypox can also be transmitted through direct contact with infected persons' body fluids or virus-contaminated items such as clothing and bedding. However, monkeypox is far less infectious than smallpox, so human-to-human transmission is uncommon.

Clinical manifestations of monkeypox

The incubation period of monkeypox (the interval from infection to symptoms) ranges from 6 to 16 days. The infection can be divided into two phases:

1. Onset period (0 to 5 days)

It is characterized by fever, severe headache, lymphadenopathy, back pain, muscle pain (muscle pain), and weakness (depression).

2. Skin rash

The rashes at different stages appeared at the same time on the face, palms and soles, and torso. The rash changes from maculopapular rash (flattened lesion at the bottom) to small blisters (liquid-filled vesicles) and pustules, which are accompanied by scabs in about 10 days. It may take up to three weeks for the scabs to completely disappear.

The number of lesions ranges from a few to several thousand, affecting the oral mucosa, genitals, and conjunctiva (eyelids), as well as the cornea (eyeballs).

Some patients develop severe lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) before the rash develops. The presence of lymphadenopathy may help identify monkeypox, as neither smallpox nor chickenpox has this characteristic.

Monkeypox symptoms usually last 14 to 21 days.

Monkey pox check

Laboratory inspection can use PCR technology (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to detect monkeypox genomic fragments from skin lesions of monkeypox patients, providing a rapid basis for clinical diagnosis in clinics; also through electron microscopy or culture, from Monkey smallpox virus was isolated from skin lesions. In addition, fluorescent antibody method and radioimmunoassay method can detect monkey variola virus antibodies in the serum of infected persons, but they are generally only used for epidemiological investigation.

Monkey pox diagnosis

Only a laboratory can make a clear diagnosis of monkeypox. The infection can be diagnosed through several different tests: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antigen detection test, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) measurement, and cell culture. Isolate the virus.

In humans, monkeypox is a sporadic, occasional disease with signs and symptoms similar to smallpox, but is usually mild. Monkeypox infected persons have a history of animal contact. The clinical manifestations initially show symptoms similar to "flu", and subsequently herpes appears on the skin, pustules, and scarring after crusting.

Differential diagnosis of monkeypox

The differential diagnosis usually includes smallpox, chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, drug allergies, and syphilis.

Monkey pox treatment

No specific treatments are currently available. The principle of treatment is to isolate patients and prevent skin lesions and secondary infections.

Monkeypox Prognosis

Patients usually recover in 2 to 4 weeks.

Monkeypox prevention

1. Prevent monkey pox from spreading through animal trade

Restricting or banning the movement of small African mammals and monkeys can effectively slow the spread of the virus outside Africa. Smallpox vaccine should not be given to captive animals. Infected animals should be isolated from other animals and quarantined immediately. Animals that may have had contact with infected animals should be quarantined for 30 days and observed for monkeypox symptoms.

2. Reduce human infection risk

In the event of a monkeypox outbreak, the most important risk factor for monkeypox virus infection is close contact with other patients. In the absence of specific treatments and vaccines, the only way to reduce human infections is to raise awareness of risk factors and carry out education and education to inform people of the measures that may be required to reduce exposure to the virus.