What is monkeypox and why is it spreading rapidly around the world – Does a new dangerous pandemic threaten humanity??

WHO records cases of smallpox in US, Canada, Australia, Spain and several other countries

Health organizations report cases of monkeypox spread, already registered in the US, Canada, Australia, Spain, Portugal, UK and several other countries.

The first cases of infection, reported 7 May, were recorded in two residents of the UK after their trip to Nigeria. Then the infection began to be detected in people in Europe or tourists from other continents., who have returned from overseas trips, including from Europe.

However, experts doubt, that the new cases are somehow related to the first two. Currently remains unknown, how and under what circumstances monkeypox is transmitted. Most of those infected are young men aged 21 to 40 years.

Known, that the monkeypox virus can be transmitted sexually

An unusually high proportion of LGBT people among those infected is reported. Six out of nine confirmed cases in the UK involve gay or bisexual men. Before that, it was considered, that the monkeypox virus is not sexually transmitted like syphilis, however it is known, that spreading requires close contact with an infected person.

The virus can enter the body through broken skin., Airways, as well as through the mucous membrane of the eye, nose or mouth. Infection occurs through contact with infected animals., like monkeys, rats and squirrels, or through such things, like bedding or clothes.

The monkeypox virus is related to the smallpox virus.

Variola virus and monkeypox virus belong to the same virus family, Poxviridae. Although smallpox was an extremely dangerous disease, which led to death 20-90 percentage of cases, the monkeypox virus is not as dangerous and rarely causes serious illness.

The chance of person-to-person transmission is considered low. Most outbreaks of infections occur in countries of Central and West Africa, in remote villages, located in close proximity to tropical forests.

Monkeypox is usually mild

There are two main strains of the monkeypox virus, Central African and West African.. Expected, that the first patients, returned to Britain from Nigeria, caught the West African virus, which is usually mild. The first symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, back and muscle pain, as well as high fatigue.

When the fever subsides, itchy rashes appear on the body, first on the face, but then spread to other parts of the body, including the limbs. As a result, the rash dries up, forming crusts, which fall away, in some cases leaving scars. The disease lasts two to three weeks and in most cases resolves on its own..