WHO Declares Monkeypox A Global Health Emergency
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Monkeypox infection as a global health emergency. The decision was taken at the second meeting of the
organization's emergency committee on Monkeypox.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that more than 16 thousand people
have been infected with Monkeypox in 75 countries. So far five people have died due to this. There are only two other health emergencies in the world at the moment - the first corona virus pandemic and the ongoing efforts
to eradicate polio.
What is Monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a viral Zoonotic disease (a disease transmitted from animals to humans) and is recognized as a disease similar to smallpox in monkeys, hence the name Monkeypox. It is an endemic
disease of Nigeria. Animals that have been identified as sources of Monkeypox virus include monkeys
and apes, a variety of rodentsb(including rats, squirrels and prairie dogs) and rabbits.
The disease is caused by the Monkeypox virus, which is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family. Infection with Monkeypox was first
discovered in 1958, after two outbreaks of a smallpox-like disease in colonies of monkeys kept for research which was named 'Monkeypox'.
Symptoms of Monkeypox
It causes a chickenpox-like rash in infected people, but the fever, Malaise, and headache caused by Monkeypox are usually more severe than those caused by chickenpox. Monkeypox can be distinguished from chickenpox in the early stages of the disease because it enlarges lymph gland.
Transmission of Monkeypox
Monkeypox virus is mostly transmitted between people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission also occurs. The first
human transmission case was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a vigorous effort to eradicate smallpox.
Human-to-human transmission can be caused by infected respiratory tract secretions, from skin wounds of an infected person or by fluids secreted from the patient or wound, and by close contact with contaminated objects.