Credit: CDC
Introduction
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease (an infectious disease that transmits from animals to humans or vice versa). While the “monkey” in monkeypox may sound like the virus first originated from monkeys, it actually came from rodents in Central and West Africa.
The monkeypox virus is a DNA virus and belongs to the variola virus family, genus Orthopoxvirus.
There are two clades genetically distinct, one of which is the Congo Basin clade and the other is the West African clade. The Congo Basin monkeypox clade has historically been found to be more transmissible. As of today, the West African monkeypox clade has been circulating in the U.S. and other countries.
It’s Origin & Spread
Monkeypox is not new. While smallpox was eradicated in 1968, monkeypox was first identified in a colony of monkeys in 1958 and in a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. Cases have been increasingly identified in central and West Africa. In 2003, the first case has been identified outside of Africa due to infected pet prairie dogs. In May 2022, it was seen that monkeypox was reported in countries where the disease was not endemic, such as those in Europe and North America. On July 23, monkeypox was declared a “public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)” by the World Health Organization (WHO); on August 4th, the Biden Administration declared it a “public health emergency.”
Since late July, the United States has declared more cases than any other nation. As of August 12, 2022, there have been over 10,000 declared cases in the U.S and 31,799 cases globally.
Monkeypox and Smallpox
Similar to monkeypox, the smallpox virus belongs to the variola virus family. It was declared eradicated by the WHO in 1980. After this, many countries stopped mandatory smallpox vaccinations. As a result, immunity to this virus has declined, causing susceptibility to other viruses of the same family such as monkeypox, over the years.
Treatment
Because smallpox is similar to monkeypox, its antiviral drugs and vaccines are effective against monkeypox. To access these, contact with one’s local healthcare or medical provider would be required. Most people with monkeypox recover in 2-4 weeks.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20220812/us-tops-10000-confirmed-monkeypox-cases-cdc#:~:text=Aug.%2012%2C%202022%20%E2%80%93%20The,to%20the%20latest%20CDC%20data.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/monkeypox-oubreak-2022
https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/world-map.html
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