Monkeypox: what is it and how to protect ourselves against it?

How does it spread? 

Monkeypox virus can be spread from animals to humans. This virus has been found not only in primates but also in rodents such as rats, mice, and squirrels. In these cases, transmission happens through bites and scratches from infected animals or through direct contact with their body fluids. People can also get infected by eating undercooked meat from infected animals. 

The transmission can also spread from human to human through close and prolonged contact with an infected person through:

• Sneezing or coughing
• Body fluids
• Skin lesions
• Contaminated items (towels, sheets, clothing)

What are the symptoms? 

It can take 5 to 21 days for the first symptoms to appear after contracting the virus. The first symptoms of the disease usually are:

• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Chills
• Swollen lymph nodes 

Although it is a self-limiting disease, it can also be severe in susceptible individuals:

• Pregnant or lactating women
• Children (especially under 8 years of age)
• Immunocompromised individuals
• Patients with any complication (e.g. encephalitis, sepsis, confluent lesions, pneumonia, gastroenteritis) or any previous comorbidity.

 In African countries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox has caused death in 1 in 10 people who contract it.

What is the treatment? 

At the moment there is no cure for monkeypox. The main objective of treatment is to reduce the symptoms and avoid the sequelae and complications of the disease, so early detection and follow-up of these patients is very important.

There are antiviral medications (tecovirimat, tidofovir) and vaccines for other diseases that could be useful in case of epidemic outbreaks. Previous vaccination against smallpox - a serious contagious disease that was eradicated in 1980 due to vaccination - is 85% useful in preventing monkeypox. For those who received this vaccine, the disease may be absent or mild. In 2019, a vaccine (JYNNEOS) was also developed to prevent both smallpox and monkeypox in adults 18 years of age and older. However, neither of these vaccines are currently available to the public on a large scale.

How to prevent it?

• Avoid contact with potentially sick animals
• Do not use objects that have been in contact with sick people or animals.
• Isolate sick people or animals
• In case of contact, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
• When contact is unavoidable, wear gloves, masks, and goggles.