What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a viral infection, native to Africa, that has recently been attracting some attention in the news. Like COVID, it’s a zoonotic virus—it usually occurs through contact between animals and humans. It is found in rodents and primates, and was first identified in 1958 in lab monkeys, hence the name.
About 9,000 cases are reported in Africa each year, but experts say many more cases are probably missed due to poor reporting systems. Previously, cases that occurred outside Africa were associated with travel there. This outbreak is attracting attention as there appears to be human to human spread, a new behaviour for this virus.
Why is it in the news?
Monkeypox causes skin rashes, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, body aches, and exhaustion in people who are infected, symptoms like smallpox but milder. It is newsworthy because recently this virus has begun spreading between humans and to several other countries outside Africa, including Canada and the US. It’s been noted to pass from one person to another during close skin contact (for example during sex, although it’s not considered a sexually transmitted disease). It can also spread through air droplets, body fluids, and virus-contaminated objects.
Young children and people who have weakened immune systems tend to have more severe symptoms from monkeypox. Three to 6% (or 3 to 6 out of 100 people who catch it) will die. This compares to a 30% death rate from smallpox (or 30 out of 100). The World Health Organization (WHO) is watching this development closely, of course, as they do with all new contagious diseases. After the past 2 years of pandemic, we all know how viruses can mutate when they jump to a different species.
Since the virus responds to the smallpox vaccine, these vaccinations are recommended for contacts of those who are sick, especially if they are at higher risk of complications. Those who are infected are being recommended to isolate until more is known about the virus and how it spreads. The incubation period is 5 to 21 days, and recovery takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Interesting stuff about smallpox...
What is also interesting to me, is that this newly spreading “pox” has fostered some discussion of the history of its viral cousin, smallpox. That virus was around for thousands of years before it was declared eradicated in 1980.
The first vaccine ever developed was for smallpox and it’s a medical success story. Although it took 20 years for success, eventually international governments committed to the vaccine program, providing proper funding and donations to less wealthy countries, plus reporting of cases. It’s estimated that more than 300 million people worldwide died with smallpox. Those who survived often had disfiguring scars on large areas of the body, including the face, and were sometimes left with blindness.
Smallpox killed 30 to 50% of Europeans who contracted it, but was even more devastating to some other populations. I knew that colonists accidentally introduced the smallpox virus (and others) to native peoples in the Americas, where it decimated the indigenous population. However, I didn’t realize that British soldiers intentionally spread it to native villages as a form of biological warfare in 1863-64, distributing infected blankets and other items, which resulted in the annihilation of entire villages.
Seeing the system “at work”...
The last case of smallpox was reported in 1977 and children are no longer given the smallpox vaccination. This has added to the concern around monkeypox, as young people would have less potential immunity, should this virus develop more infectious abilities, and those of us vaccinated as children may have waning immunity after so many years. It certainly is interesting to see the world monitoring system at work detecting and tracking contagions that could possibly become our next pandemic!
This is an example of infectious disease monitoring doing what it is supposed to do—identifying potential infectious diseases, warning us to be careful, and alerting medical workers so they will recognize the infection quickly. It’s what was missed with COVID-19 where large numbers were sick and dying before the world was aware it had started, and by then it was too late to contain it. Although the monkeypox virus seems to be much less infectious than SARS-CoV-2, at least we all know what we need to do to better protect ourselves, thanks to public education programs in the past 2 years.
So, don’t throw away those masks yet... they’re still a useful part of protecting ourselves, and each other, that we may need again in the future! But take comfort in knowing the system is working when you hear these reports in the news...
References:
What to Know About Monkeypox and the Latest Cases—Medical News Today
EXPLAINER: What is monkeypox and where is it spreading?--Canadian Healthcare Network
