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Monkeypox is a disease that was first discovered in Central African forest monkeys, hence the name. For some reason, it’s also believed to be spread by mirrors or reflections, but this hasn’t been proven yet (there have been no documented cases of human reflectroinfectionism due to monkeypox so far). It’s apparently curable but takes time, so there’s still much to learn about this disease that could potentially cause some harm if left unchecked.
It is highly contagious. It can spread through contact with the infected person or by touching objects that have been contaminated by the virus. Many can also get it from a person who has been vaccinated against it.
Some may have heard that monkeypox is a very serious disease, but it does not necessarily mean that the person who has been infected with the virus will die. However, there are currently no vaccines for this disease, and treatment options are limited.
Monkeypox can be treated by giving patients fluids and other medications to reduce their fever and pain levels (like ibuprofen). The medication used will depend on how severe symptoms are or if complications are present, such as bleeding into organs or shock.
Dr. Seuss is a famous author who created many imaginary creatures for his books. The monkeypox was one of those many imaginary creatures, but they were the first of their kind. Dr. Seuss also created the Sneetches in his book “And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street,” which was published in 1937 and introduced us to monkeypox.
Dr. Seuss was born in 1904 and died in 1991 at 87 years old, so he wrote many books during his lifetime and brought joy to children everywhere with them!
The symptoms are very much like the symptoms of chickenpox – itchy spots all over that first appear on the neck, then spread from there. The spots are some sort of rash, or possibly small tumors or even boils.
The rash is not painful and does not itch as much if one doesn’t scratch. It does, however, spread from the neck to other parts of the body, usually following nerve paths and/or blood vessels in a predictable pattern.
Now that you know that monkeypox is a real disease and not from monkeys, it can be difficult to know what to do if a child has been diagnosed with it. Fortunately, there are ways to cure them of their monkeypox.
First off, stay calm and don’t panic! If the child has contracted the virus, don’t panic because they will eventually recover from it on their own. Second of all, make sure that any family members who were around when they were infected get tested for monkeypox, too, because they might have contracted it as well! Thirdly…
Many may be surprised to know that monkeypox is not from monkeys. It’s actually from a virus called monkeypox.
So, there you have it. Monkeypox is not the same thing as monkeypox, and it has nothing to do with monkeys. The reason I wanted to write this article was that I wanted people to know that they can’t catch it off their pet monkeys or baboons if they’re not vaccinated against monkeypox, which is why people think it’s so scary!
Written by Omari Jahi
Sources
STAT: What scientists know — and don’t know — about how monkeypox spreads by Megan Molten
Yale Medicine: Monkeypox: What You Need To Know by CARRIE MACMILLAN
WebbMD: Monkeypox: What to Know by Shishira Sreenivas
Top & Featured Image Courtesy of Nik Borrow Flickr Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of ssilberman Flickr Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of U.S. Army Garrison Casey Flickr Creative Commons License
