Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Published : May 9, 2022 5:47 PM IST
The UK health authorities have confirmed the first case of monkeypox in a person who has a travel history to Nigeria. The infected individual is receiving care at the expert infectious disease unity in London.
Monkeypox is a rare viral virus that does not spread easily between individuals, according to the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It is usually a mild "self-limiting sickness" that most people recover from in a few weeks. In some circumstances, however, severe sickness may develop.
Monkeypox is a close relative of smallpox, which was declared eradicated in 1979, but it is less contagious and lethal. However, the main difference between smallpox and monkeypox, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is that monkeypox causes swelling to the lymph nodes whereas smallpox doesn't.
According to UKHSA, the following are the symptoms of monkeypox:
The first symptoms might develop anywhere between 5-21 days after getting infected by the virus, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Monkeypox can be contracted by infected wild animals in portions of west and central Africa if you are bitten or come into contact with their blood, body fluids, spots, blisters, or scabs, according to NHS. It can also be contracted through eating raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal, or by touching other infected animal products such as skin or fur. The UKHSA report further states that when someone comes into close contact with an infected person, the infection can spread; nevertheless, there is a very low chance of transmission to the general population.
However, Dr Colin Brown, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at the UKHSA in an official statement said that "it is important to emphasise that monkeypox does not spread easily between people and the overall risk of the general public is low."
