Written By: Satata Karmakar | Updated : May 25, 2022 12:30 PM IST
Monkeypox Not A Gay Disease, Anybody Can Contract It...: WHO Answers Vital Questions On The Virus
Does monkeypox spread through sexual contact? Are gay and bisexual people at higher risk of catching the infection? In the last few days, several questions were raised by the people about the highly transmissible monkeypox virus. But not all of them are backed by the facts and experts. Here, in this article let's understand what the World Health Organisation (WHO) has to say about the monkeypox virus and the ways it can transmit from one individual to another.
At a time when the world was reeling under the effects of the highly contagious and infectious COVID-19 virus, reports about another virus outbreak left the people baffled. The new virus which is known as the monkeypox virus has some worrisome characteristics which make it important for people to understand the way it can enter the body and the modes in which it can transmit.
No, the monkeypox virus is a viral infection which is caused by the viruses that belong to the family of smallpox. The host of the virus is not known, however, some of the animals that can carry the virus are - rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, non-human primates and other species.
Yes, the monkeypox virus can spread rapidly from one person to another and thus it can be called a contagious communicable disease. Any animal which is infected by the monkeypox virus can be considered contagious 1 day before and up to 21 days after the initial symptoms appear. This remains the same for humans as well. Anyone who is infected by the virus can spread the virus until all skin lesions have formed scabs and no other symptoms are present. Animals can transmit the virus by direct contact or in aerosols.
The monkeypox virus is a highly transmissible disease which can spread through droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected individual. It can also be transmitted via body fluids, such as from pustules, as well as objects that have come into contact with them. In one word, the virus can spread through close contact between two individuals. Also, it can spread through the skin rashes and the liquid present in it. Anybody who comes in close contact with these rashes or skin fluids can catch the virus infection.
With several irrelevant theories and inhibitions about how the monkeypox virus spread, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have said that it is not a 'gay disease.' The infection spread through close contact hence, it can happen to anyone who comes close to an infected person. "This is not a gay disease as some people have attempted to label it. Anybody can contract it through close contact," WHO's Rosamund Lewis said.
According to the WHO the skin rashes that one develops during the course of this disease are the most contagious. Talking about the symptoms that one may develop, the global health body said, "One infected with the virus can show up symptoms such as fever, skin rashes, headache, swollen lymph nodes, etc."
The WHO has also cautioned people against taking the virus lightly. The global health body has said that it is too early to say that the virus is not going to lead to another pandemic, however, it is important that the nations are taking proper precautions in everything any unmanageable situation. "A total of 92 cases and 28 suspected cases had been identified in 12 countries outside of those African nations where it is endemic as of May 21," the WHO said in its statement.
(With inputs from agencies)
