According to British media reports on May 7, a British patient has been diagnosed with a rare infectious disease “monkeypox” (monkeypox) and is currently being treated in isolation in a London hospital. The UK Health Security Agency said the patient had recently travelled to Nigeria and most likely contracted the virus in Nigeria.
▲A patient in the UK has been diagnosed with the rare infectious disease “monkeypox” . According to Sky News
It is reported that “monkeypox” is a viral zoonotic disease, and monkeypox virus mostly exists in wild animals. It is mainly transmitted from animals to humans through direct and close contact. People can also become infected when they are in close contact with an infected person, although the virus is not easily transmitted directly from person to person. WHO data for 2019 shows that the virus has the longest chain of transmission on record, six consecutive person-to-person infections.
It is understood that the transmission route of the virus mainly includes blood and body fluids, and can enter the human body through broken skin, respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth. Contact with infected animals, such as monkeys, mice, and squirrels, or contact with virus-contaminated items, such as bedding and clothing, can also cause the virus to spread. In addition, WHO data shows that the virus can also be transmitted through the placenta, from mother to fetus. Eating undercooked meat from infected animals can also cause infection.
According to WHO, the incubation period (the time from infection to symptom onset) for “monkeypox” is about 5 to 21 days, and the infection is divided into two stages. Infected people may experience symptoms such as fever, severe headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain and intense wheezing during the first five days of being infected. The infected person may then develop a rash that gradually spreads from the face to other parts of the body, especially the extremities, and eventually scabs and falls off. According to reports, in the general population, the mortality rate of “monkeypox” infection is about 10%, while the mortality rate in young children is relatively high. In addition, infected persons may develop a series of complications, such as bronchitis, sepsis, encephalitis and corneal infection, and may even lose vision.
▲Image of monkeypox lesions. Source: British government official website
According to the British Health and Safety Agency, in 1958, the “monkeypox” virus was first discovered in a monkey that was used as a research experiment. In 1970, the first “monkeypox” case in human history appeared in Congo (Kinshasa), and the infected person was a 9-year-old boy. Since 1970, a total of 11 African countries have reported human cases of “monkeypox”. According to CCTV News, citing Congolese (DRC) local media in November 2021, Congolese (DRC) Health Minister Mbengani said that 69 cases of human infection of “monkeypox” were found in Maniema province, of which Twelve people died, a mortality rate of about 17%.
In fact, the “monkeypox” virus has already spread to other regions or countries around the world. In the spring of 2003, 47 human cases of “monkeypox” infection were confirmed in the United States. Most of the infected people have been exposed to animals imported into the United States from Africa, the report said. In September 2018, there were cases of “monkeypox” infection in Israel. In May 2019, a traveller from Nigeria brought the virus into Singapore. In the UK, there have been many cases of “monkeypox” in recent years. The monkeypox virus was first detected in the UK in 2018, when a man was diagnosed after returning from Nigeria. In December 2019, there was another confirmed case in London. In 2021, two other confirmed cases were found in North Wales, both of whom had travelled to Nigeria.
Foreign media said that, to a certain extent, “monkeypox” and “smallpox”, which was previously eradicated, are relatives, and both belong to the genus Orthopoxvirus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the main difference between the symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes swollen lymph nodes, whereas smallpox does not.” The WHO also mentioned in a document, The clinical symptoms of “monkeypox” are similar to those of “smallpox”. In addition, the document also mentioned that there is currently no specific treatment for “monkeypox”. However, several observational studies have shown that the smallpox vaccine is about 85% effective in preventing “monkeypox”.
Red Star News reporter Wang Yalin Intern reporter Li Jinrui
Editor Pan Li