A case of the rare monkeypox disease was recently recorded in the United States days after Europe announced possible detection in some of their counties. To date, over seven countries are investigating the disease for confirmation.
Massachusetts was the first to report a case of the monkeypox in the US territory. A more recent possible case was detected Thursday in New York City.
Possible Case of Monkeypox in New York City
Health authorities in New York City recently reported a possible monkeypox infection in one of their citizens a day after officials in Massachusetts confirmed the first case of the condition in the US.
Last Thursday, Canada announced that there are already 17 possible cases of the monkeypox in the country. Europe also confirmed the detection of outbreaks in some of its regions.
In Spain, there are 22 suspected cases of monkeypox that their health agencies are currently investigating. Their neighbor Portugal also has 20 possible cases recorded up until recently.
The United Kingdom's health reports included seven individuals that might have the monkeypox. The disease also affected citizens of other union members, such as Sweden and Italy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in their new press release that the origin of the monkeypox has not yet been identified, and further examinations are needed to locate the source of the disease.
Monkeypox is a disease that was previously exclusive to monkeys. The infection could exist and be passed on through rodents. Most of the tiny creatures that carry the disease are found in west and central Africa. The rodents can pass the condition between monkeys. The transmission of the monkeypox could also occur between the specified animals and humans.
Health officials are now looking into the factors that might have induced the unusual surge of this rare disease globally. Many people are concerned about the human-to-human transmissions of monkeypox, but the disease occurs mostly through contact with wild animals only.
Monkeypox in Humans
Cases of human transmission are few, but the majority of spread recorded by previous studies is between sexual partners, with all the cases appearing in men.
Montreal public health director Mylene Drouin explained that the human cases were mostly in men who have relationships with other men, reports USA Today.
Symptoms of the monkeypox in humans impact both the genital and oral systems, inflicting the parts with severe, painful ulceration. The phase before the eruption includes sweating, fever, and chronic headache, Drouin continued.
Despite the observations in male subjects, the monkeypox, which is a lesser relative of seasonal smallpox, is not categorized as a sexually transmitted disease or STI.
Monkeypox patients exhibit many symptoms of rash, fever, ulcerative lesions, chills, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain, and tiredness. If a symptom occurs, experts highly suggest getting immediate advice from health professionals.
University of California San Francisco infectious disease expert Seth Blumberg said there is no need for alarm regarding the illness, as monkeypox is not highly contagious. Blumberg added that the condition is not COVID-19 and does not parallel the events in Wuhan, China, in 2019.
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