British health authorities working alongside the World Health Organization have been investigating cases of Monkeypox suspected to unusually be on the rise. This comes just before countries such as Portugal and Spain speculate an approximate amount above 90 cases of the viral infection. Additional cases in the United States, Israel, France, Switzerland as well as Australia have been reported, overall dozens of countries have reported cases.
Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa and is rarely seen in places such as Europe or the United States, symptoms of the virus consist of fever, rash on the face and body, muscle aches, backaches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion. At Osan Air Base in South Korea meeting with U.S. troops, Joe Biden said “They haven’t told me the level of exposure yet, but it is something that everybody should be concerned about, we’re working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine may be available.” The President additionally stated, “But it is a concern in the sense that if it were to spread it would be consequential.”
Some forms of transmission include human contact with animals, other humans, or any contaminated materials is the transmission point of the virus. Monkeypox can enter through exposed skin your respiratory system, and mucus membranes like your eyes, nose, and or mouth. Transmission can occur from animals through bites or scratches.
Smallpox vaccines can be used to control outbreaks, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no proven method or treatment for monkeypox. In the United States, there are currently two smallpox vaccines that are approved for use and are shown to be effective in the prevention of monkeypox. This hasn’t been the first time the U.S. has seen this type of outbreak. In 2003, the outbreak was suspected to be caused by animals such as prairie dogs and other pets.
In Spain and Belgium, it has been suspected by the former head of the WHO emergencies department, Dr. David Heymann in a statement to the associated press that the virus is theorized to have transmission through sexual contact in raves in both countries.
Mike Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London said “By nature, sexual activity involves intimate contact, which one would expect to increase the likelihood of transmission, whatever a person’s sexual orientation and irrespective of the mode of transmission.” Cases in the U.S. include:
- The state of Massachusetts with approximately four cases.
- Utah with two cases.
- one in New York.
- Florida one reported.
In Europe, Germany linked its cases to “party events”, no deaths have been reported and cases are reported as mild.
Written by Skye Leon
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Science Alert: Over 40 New Monkeypox Cases Have Been Detected in Europe, Health Officials Report
The New York Times: ‘Everybody Should Be Concerned’ About Monkeypox, Biden Warns; Russell Goldman
AP News: Expert: Monkeypox likely spread by sex at 2 raves in Europe
CDC: Monkeypox
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Inset Image Courtesy of Zaldlmg‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
