Monkeypox is a rare and infectious
disease caused by monkey virus, transmitted from animals to human, with
symptoms similar to those of smallpox, although less severe.
The first case was reported on September
22 in Bayelsa, and according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC),
74 suspected cases have been reported across 11 states including Rivers, Akwa
Ibom, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun and Cross River.
The states worst hit by the disease
includes Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos,
Nasarawa and Rivers.
To stay safe from this disease that
has no known cure or vaccine, 12 things are important to note.
1. Monkey Pox occurs sporadically in
some remote parts of central and West Africa. It was first discovered in
monkeys hence the name, Monkey Pox.
2. The disease was first identified
in 1958 by the State Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, during an
investigation into a pox-like disease among monkeys.
3. The first human case of monkeypox
was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a period of
intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.
4. The infection can be contracted
from direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal
lesions of infected animals like monkeys, Gambian giant rats, squirrels, and
rodents. Eating inadequately cooked meat of infected animals is a possible risk
factor.
5. The symptoms of Monkey Pox are
similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox. Monkey Pox begins with
fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, and exhaustion. The main difference
between symptoms of Small Pox and Monkey Pox is that Monkey Pox causes lymph
nodes to swell while smallpox does not. The incubation period (time from
infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually from seven to 14 days, but can
range from Five to 21 days. Within the first three days or more, after the appearance
of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face then
spreading to other parts of the body.
6. Secondary, or human-to-human,
transmission can result from close contact with infected respiratory tract
secretions, skin lesions of an infected person or objects recently contaminated
by patient fluids or lesion materials.
7. Monkey Pox can be transmitted
from human to human through physical touch, contact with stool, blood contact.
Avoid contact with animals that could harbour the virus – including animals that are sick or
that have been found dead in areas where Monkey Pox occurs.
8. Practice good hand hygiene with
or without contact with infected animals or humans. Wash your hands regularly
with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
9. Avoid contact with any materials,
such as bedding, that has been in contact with a sick animal or person. Isolate
infected patients from others who could be at risk for infection.
10. Vaccination against smallpox has
been proven to be 85 per cent effective in preventing Monkey Pox in the past
but the vaccine is no longer available to the public after it was discontinued
following global Small Pox eradication in 1980.
11. Monkeypox has been shown to
cause death in about as 10 percent of those who contract the disease. Children
are more susceptible to the infection.
12. There is presently no known or
proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection.
