(Li Ning, Health Times) “Our hospital has just admitted a male monkeypox patient. He went to the doctor mainly because of ulcers and pain in the anus, and was later diagnosed with monkeypox. This is a patient with relatively atypical symptoms.”
Dr. Jin Chongfei of Fairfax Hospital in Inova, USA, told the Health Times on July 24 that he is mainly responsible for receiving patients in emergency care.
WHO announced that in the past month, more and more countries and regions have reported monkeypox cases to WHO. To date, more than 16,000 monkeypox cases have been reported to WHO from 75 countries and territories. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus just announced on the 23rd that the monkeypox epidemic, which has now spread in 75 countries and regions, has constituted a “public health emergency of international concern”, which is the highest level that WHO can currently issue. Public Health Alert.
As of July 4, the distribution of monkeypox cases by country (cases in China appeared in Taiwan Province) WHO map
Some people have been infected with both the new crown and monkeypox at the same time, and they were unable to drink water for a time
According to the “New York Post” report on July 22, California, USA A man has become the first case in the U.S. to be infected with both Covid-19 and monkeypox. The patient was diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia at the end of June, and a few days later, a red rash appeared on the back, legs, arms and neck, which was diagnosed by doctors as infected with monkeypox virus. The patient said that he developed fever, difficulty breathing and other symptoms, and was unable to drink water for a time.
How to identify the early symptoms of monkeypox? Are monkeypox and COVID-19 alike?
“The initial symptoms of monkeypox are actually various, such as fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, special fatigue, etc. The most difficult thing at present is that many new crown patients also have these symptoms, which can make people misunderstand. Whether you have the new crown or not. In fact, there are two very important characteristics that can distinguish whether it is the new crown or monkeypox.” Jin Chongfei explained, one is the acne on the body, on the mouth, hands, genitals and other parts, and also One is swollen lymph nodes, including the neck, groin, and underarms. These two points are not particularly popular among patients with new crowns, but they are generally found in patients with monkeypox.
“Monkeypox generally has an incubation period of one to two weeks, with symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue in the early stages of onset. A rash will appear within about five days after a fever, usually on the contact site. The rash gradually changed from maculopapular rash to herpes, pustules, and then scabs, and the process took about two to three weeks.” Dr. Wang Jin, Department of Infectious Diseases, Mercy Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri, USA told the Health Times on July 24. Nearly 95% of monkeypox virus transmission is related to sexual contact. High-risk groups should pay attention to the safety of sexual behavior, and medical staff should pay attention to the isolation of “droplets” when contacting patients. Also wear goggles and an N95 mask. This is the same as the isolation requirements for the new crown.
There are two vaccines to prevent monkeypox
“Prevention is vaccination, and the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has approved two vaccines, JYNNEOS and ACAM2000, the current production is limited, and the applicable population is also regulated. There are mainly two types of people, one is the close contact of monkeypox patients, and the other is the personnel working in these laboratories that detect monkeypox. Because they are at risk of contracting monkeypox It will increase a lot.”
As for the question of how to treat monkeypox and whether there is a specific drug, Dr. Jin Chongfei said that there is currently no one specific drug for monkeypox. It was prepared for monkeypox, but there is a drug that was previously developed for smallpox virus, and the results of use in some patients are still effective, such as shortening the course of the disease and speeding up healing.
What is the probability of the general population being infected with monkeypox? “Although it has been upgraded to a global public health emergency, the proportion of occurrence is relatively small, it is a rare disease, and the probability of ordinary people being exposed is relatively small. And it is far less contagious than the new crown, so don’t worry.” Jin Chongfei express.
“The overall prognosis of monkeypox patients is relatively good. So far, about 13% of patients need to be hospitalized because of severe symptoms, such as severe pain in the mouth or esophagus caused by rash, or perianal inflammation, secondary infection, etc. The reason for admission. So far the fatality rate is very low.” Dr. Wang Jin added.