A case of Monkeypox has been diagnosed in a person who recently travelled from Nigeria to the United States by Texas Department of State Health Services. The patient was infected with the strain most commonly found in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The health protection agency said it was working with the airline, state and local health officials to contact passengers and others who may have been in contact with the patient.
Six more cases were previously reported in travellers returning to the United Kingdom, Israel and Singapore from Nigeria, according to the CDC.
The disease was first discovered in laboratory monkeys in 1958 and the first human case of Monkeypox was found in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What is Monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a rare smallpox-like disease that causes fever, rash and other flu-like symptoms. It occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa but has spread to other regions. It is a virus transmitted from animals to humans with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients.
The virus that causes the disease belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox and has been isolated from an African tree squirrel, which may be its natural host.
Monkeypox is fatal in up to 10 percent of cases and is often mild when compared to smallpox.
The viral infection is also found in other animals like monkeys, mice, rats, and rabbits. It can spread to humans from an infected animal through an animal bite or direct contact with the animal's bodily fluids. However the disease does not spread easily between people and is relatively limited.
The virus is generally transmitted through respiratory droplets, or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth) or through broken skin. People who eat inadequately cooked meat are greater risk of infection. Animals that shows symptoms of Monkeypox should be isolated and to be quarantined.
In humans, the early symptoms of Monkeypox are fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and tiredness, which could last for 2−4 weeks. The symptoms of Monkeypox closely resemble the symptoms of smallpox but could be milder.The body develops rashes in the first week and they will be found concentrated on the face, palms of hands and soles of feet.
Currently, there is no specific or effective treatment for Monkeypox. CDS recommends that the medicines available for smallpox vaccine can be used for treating Monkeypox as they are closely related viruses. Vaccination against smallpox might provide protection against human Monkeypox infection. The FDA has approved vaccine called Jynneos for immunisation of adults at high risk for smallpox or monkeypox infection. WHO says that antiviral agents are also being developed to treat Monkeypox.
