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WHO declares monkeypox health emergency: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared monkeypox or amoeba a global public health emergency. This is the second time in two years that the disease has been declared a health emergency. There is an outbreak of this disease in Congo, which has also affected neighboring countries.
Monkeypox is a viral disease like smallpox. Infection with this virus usually does not have many side effects, but in rare cases it can be fatal. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. This virus is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus family, which is also responsible for smallpox.
WHO is also concerned because the mortality rate varies in different outbreaks of monkeypox. Sometimes it has been more than 10%. It can prove to be more dangerous as it is an infectious disease. Therefore, WHO has issued a high level alert in this regard.
More than 17 thousand cases in Africa
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), more than 17,000 suspected cases of ampox have been reported on the African continent so far this year, while 517 deaths have occurred. This year the number of cases has increased by 160% compared to the same period last year. A total of 13 countries have reported cases of ampox.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Symptoms may take several days or a few weeks to appear after someone is exposed to the virus.
Symptoms usually appear 3 to 17 days after exposure. The time between when a person is exposed to the virus and when symptoms begin to appear is called the incubation period.
The symptoms of monkeypox usually last for 2 to 4 weeks.
The first symptom of monkeypox is fever. Then, about 1 to 4 days after the fever starts, a rash appears on the skin.
The rash that appears in this often first appears on the face. After this, it appears on the hands or feet and then spreads to other parts of the body.
However, in cases associated with the outbreak that began in 2022, the rash often began in the genital area. Some people were developing rashes in the mouth or throat.
The monkeypox rash goes through several stages. Initially flat rashes turn into blisters. These blisters then fill with pus. Then a scab forms and dries up over a period of 2 to 4 weeks.
These rashes can appear anywhere on the mouth, face, hands, feet, penis, vagina or anus. Sometimes they also appear on the throat.
Since monkeypox symptoms don't appear until your rash and itching have healed, an infected person can spread it. Additionally, it can be spread by an infected person before symptoms develop.