Why monkeypox cases are spreading in Europe and the US 

A few cases of monkeypox have now been reported in the United States, Britain, Spain and Portugal.   

The outbreaks are alarming because the viral disease spread through close contact and was first found in monkeys. It mainly occurs in the west and central Africa and only occasionally spreads elsewhere.  

Monkeypox is a viral disease that causes fever and similar symptoms, including a distinctive bumpy rash. It is usually mild; however, there are two strains: the West Africa strain and the Congo strain.  

The West African strain has a mortality rate of about 1% of cases, whereas the congo strain is severe with up to 10% fatality rate. The West African strain has been reported in the cases in the UK. “Historically, there have been very few cases exported. It has only happened eight times in the past before this year,” said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said it was “highly unusual”.  

Spain has tested 23 potential causes, and Portugal has logged five confirmed cases. Neither of these countries have reported cases before.   

TRANSMISSION 

The virus spread through close contact and was first found in monkeys in 1958, although rodents are now seen as the probable primary animal host. It spreads both in spillovers from animals and, less commonly, between humans. Experts have warned of more comprehensive transmission if cases have gone unreported. 

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Scientists are now carrying out genomic sequencing to identify the virus’s linkage.  

Why is it spreading Now?  

One possible scenario that led to the rise in cases is increased travel due to lesser restrictions on travelling. “My working theory would be that there’s a lot of it about in west and central Africa, travel has resumed, and that’s why we are seeing more cases,” said Whitworth. 

 Virologists are on the alert because it’s a member of the smallpox family, although its symptoms are less severe. 

Smallpox was first eradicated by vaccination in 1980, and the shot has since been phased out. However, the shot also protected against monkeypox. “The winding down of vaccination campaigns has led to a jump in monkeypox cases in areas where the disease is endemic”, according to Anne Rimoin, an epidemiology professor at UCLA in California. According to her, the urgent investigation of the new cases was necessary as “they could suggest a novel means of spread or a change in the virus, but this is all to be determined”. 

Various experts have urged the public not to panic at this moment. “This isn’t going to cause a nationwide epidemic as COVID did, but it’s a serious outbreak of a serious disease – and we should take it seriously,” said Whitworth. 

Europe and North America have detected dozens of cases of monkeypox, a virus that passes from infected animals such as rodents to humans. The World Health Organization said it coordinated with health officials over the new outbreaks.  

Here are seven things we know about the Monkeypox outbreak:   

1. Monkeypox can be caught from a bite by an infected animal or its fur or body fluids. It’s thought to be spread by rodents, like mice, rats, and squirrels. It is also possible to catch the disease by eating meat from an infected animal. 
2. Health officials highlight that some of these infections may transmit through sexual contact. The WHO said it has investigated that many cases reported were people who identified as bisexual or gay. 
3. Fever, muscle ache, lesions, and chills are the common symptoms of Monkeypox in humans. 
4. Canada was the latest country to report a dozen suspected cases Monkeypox Case. Sweden and Italy also reported their first case of Monkeypox. 
5. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, there haven’t been any cases of Monkeypox for 40 years before its re-emergence in Nigeria in 2017. 
6. There isn’t a specific treatment for Monkeypox as of yet. Patients usually stay in a specialist hospital, so the infection doesn’t spread. 
7. According to the WHO, the incubation period of this disease is usually from one to two weeks. 

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