Since the World Health Organisation declared Monkeypox a global health emergency last month, there has been a growing call for swift measures to be taken to stop the spread of the virus. The Union Health Ministry has shared a video on Twitter, explaining how monkeypox can spread from one person to another.
“Monkeypox is primarily transmitted when an individual has prolonged/repeated contact with an infected person, according to the ministry. It spreads through:
Direct physical contact: Contact with bodily fluids or lesion material.
Indirect contact: Through contaminated clothing or linen of affected person
Large respiratory droplets as a result of prolonged close contact.”
As per a report shared by the health ministry, “Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity.” It was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys that were part of a research project, lending the disease its name.
“The first human case of monkeypox was reported from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970,” the report said, adding that the first case of monkeypox outside of Africa was reported in the United States of America in 2003.
USA's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.”
The illness typically lasts for two to four weeks and in addition to the rash, other symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, body aches, headache and respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion.
