Monkeypox Science | The "monkey" in monkeypox is not the "monkey" in monkey

On June 24, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control announced the first confirmed case of monkeypox imported from abroad in Taiwan, a man in his 20s.

The patient studied in Germany from January to June 2022, and flew back to Taiwan on June 16. On June 20, he developed symptoms such as fever, sore throat, muscle aches, rash, and swollen lymph nodes in the groin. He was confirmed to be infected with the monkeypox virus on the 24th.

A relevant official from Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control said that since the patient is under home quarantine, one person per household and not living with his family, there are a total of five contacts, two of whom are family members and the rest are medical personnel. All of them wore masks during the contact process and currently have no related symptoms.

Recently, monkeypox cases have been reported in many places around the world. What is the real source of the monkeypox virus? How can we prevent it?

The origin of monkeypox virus is not monkeys

As a zoonotic viral disease, monkeypox virus was first discovered in monkeys, hence its name.

Does that mean monkeys are the culprit for monkeypox? No!

Some scientific evidence shows that the real source of monkeypox virus is not monkeys, but certain African rodents, such as African squirrels, Gambian giant rats, dormice, etc., which are more likely to be the main hosts of monkeypox virus.

Monkeypox can be deadly

Monkeypox is a self-limiting disease, which means that in most cases the body can heal itself.

Does that mean that monkeypox is not scary at all and we don't need to worry about it? No, monkeypox is deadly.

Like some viruses, monkeypox virus has branches, which are roughly divided into the West African branch and the Congo Basin branch. The West African branch has a mortality rate of about 3%, while the Congo Basin branch has a mortality rate of about 10%.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox?

The incubation period (the time from exposure to illness) of the disease is 5 to 21 days. The initial symptoms of infection are headache, fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

But after a few days, a rash appears, usually starting on the face. The rash often spreads to other parts of the body, mainly the limbs. The herpes are usually large, 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter, which is a more prominent feature of monkeypox.

How can monkeypox be prevented?

Liu Gang, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Beijing Children's Hospital, said that monkeypox is generally a viral infection, and whether one is susceptible to infection is closely related to the body's immune status. Children who are young, have low immunity or have underlying diseases are more susceptible to infection.

There is currently no vaccine or specific medicine for monkeypox virus.

In 1980, the World Health Organization announced that the smallpox virus had been eradicated, and all countries stopped vaccinating with cowpox vaccines. my country also sealed up the cowpox vaccines. Currently, the World Health Organization does not recommend large-scale vaccination with smallpox vaccines to prevent monkeypox.

Experts remind that the main preventive measures for monkeypox virus are to wear a mask when going out and clean your hands in time, especially to reduce contact with rodents and primates of unknown origin.

Among them, pet lovers, animal breeders and quarantine personnel are high-risk groups and should strengthen protection to prevent bites and contact with animal blood and secretions.

Source: CCTV.com, China News Network, Metropolis Express