Monkeypox Outbreak: What Is It And How Serious Is It?

DISCLAIMER:
This article is for informational or educational purposes only. Please seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or medical condition.

Just as the world is reopening after almost two years of lockdown and social activities begin to return to some semblance of normalcy, we are now faced with new outbreaks – hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in Malaysia and monkeypox in some parts of the world.

While the hand, foot, and mouth disease is not something that’s unheard of, monkeypox is a lesser-known disease. However, monkeypox is not a novel disease – the first confirmed human case was in 1970 involving a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to the UN health agency recently, the current monkeypox outbreak that has been reported in 16 countries and several regions of the world is still containable and the overall risk of transmission is low. However, we must not let our guards down and have a lot to learn from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and within a few months, it was widely and quickly transmitted and became a global pandemic that shut down the entire world for two years.

Since the discovery of monkeypox, most of the cases have been found in Western and Central Africa, where the disease is endemic. According to the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in New York, the reasons behind the current global outbreak of monkeypox are unknown or at least have not yet been made available.

The monkeypox virus has caught the world by surprise because it is not commonly spread among people. Recent global cases of monkeypox were from people who hadn’t visited Western Africa or other countries where the virus is often found. These infected people had a history of travelling to Canada and European countries, where cases were reported in late April and early May 2022.

In America, the CDC predicts that more monkeypox cases will likely be discovered in the coming days and weeks.

Low-down on the Monkeypox Disease

• Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, which includes the virus that causes smallpox.
• It can infect anyone but it’s more common in children. 90% of the total cases in Africa were among children under 15 years old.
• The incubation period from the time of infection to the appearance of symptoms is usually 7-14 days but can range from 5–21 days.
• Historically and depending on the strain, the mortality ratio has ranged from 0 – 11% in the general population and has been higher among young children.
• The monkeypox virus is transmitted when a person comes into contact with the virus from another infected person, an infected animal (life or dead), or foods and any material contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through the mucous membranes (mouth, eyes, or nose), broken skin, and the respiratory tract.
• Being a viral disease originating in animals, monkeypox is primarily found in the tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and has been increasingly occurring in urban areas and other countries.
• Some of the most recent cases found in some parts of the world have been identified in parts of the gay and bisexual communities. The monkeypox virus can spread during intimate and sexual contact, as well as sharing of bedding and clothing.

Symptoms of Monkeypox

When you are infected with monkeypox, the first thing you’d notice is flu-like symptoms and a general feeling of malaise. This is called the “invasion period” of the disease when the virus enters your cells.

Early symptoms of monkeypox in humans include fever, chills, muscle and body aches, enlarged lymph nodes, and a feeling of malaise. The symptoms are similar to but milder than the symptoms of smallpox and the main difference between the two diseases is monkeypox causes swelling of the lymph nodes while smallpox doesn’t.

The symptoms last from 2 to 4 weeks and the most evident symptom is pus-filled painful blisters or “pox”. Most often, the rash starts on your face and gradually spreads to other parts of your body, including inside the mouth and even on the genitalia. Several days later, the blisters start to crust and fall off. This is when there will be itching as the skin regenerates.

The current outbreak in the United States and Europe has resulted in mild symptoms. However, the monkeypox virus can cause serious health problems, especially for immunocompromised people, as well as those with certain skin conditions, like eczema.

Treatment For Monkeypox

At the moment there are no proven, safe treatments for monkeypox, though most cases are mild. Your doctor will monitor your condition with medicines to relieve your symptoms. The majority of the patients recover on their own without treatment.

Vaccine For Monkeypox

The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend people obtain the existing smallpox vaccine which is said to be 85% effective in preventing monkeypox.

Malaysians planning to visit countries with reported cases of the recent monkeypox outbreak are strongly advised to get themselves vaccinated to protect themselves against the virus.

Situation in Malaysia

As of 26 May 2022, Malaysia’s Health Ministry has not received any reports of monkeypox cases linked to adults or children in the country. The Health Ministry is closely monitoring the monkeypox outbreak that has affected multiple countries in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Director-general of Health Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had said that apart from closely monitoring the progress of monkeypox cases based on reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the ministry would also carry out surveillance on suspected cases at all the country’s international entry points.

On 27 May 2022, the MOH created a “Health Alert monkeypox” feature in the MySejahtera app where daily alerts will be sent out to travellers arriving from countries with recent monkeypox cases or monkeypox endemic countries for them to monitor their health for 21 days. These travellers will not get an HSO but will receive a pop-up alert on their mobile phones.

Final Word

Monkeypox is rare and usually mild, however, it still has the potential to cause severe illness and can be fatal. With the recent outbreak of monkeypox in several countries, health officials are concerned and are on high alert that more cases will surface with borders reopening and increased travel.

Covid-19 prevention strategies such as social distancing, masking, increasing ventilation, hand hygiene, and staying home if we are unwell can be implemented to prevent monkeypox since this is a DNA virus which is better suited to survive on surfaces.

Health Freak Mommy is a content writer under Headliner by Newswav, a programme where content creators get to tell their unique stories through articles and at the same time monetize their content within the Newswav app.
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