New Epidemic: MonkeyPox Hits Bayelsa ...#YouShoulKnow

Fear has gripped the residents of Bayelsa State as a deadly viral epidemic known as “monkeypox” has broken out in the state.

“The monkeypox virus can cause a fatal illness in humans and, although it is similar to human smallpox which has been eradicated, it is much milder,” WHO says.

It was authoritatively learnt that a medical doctor and 10 persons who came down with the monkeypox had been quarantined in an isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

The isolation centre was reportedly created by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and the epidemiological team of the state’s Ministry of Health to control the spread of the virus.

Some Important things to know about the MonkeyPOX

1. First, Monkeypox is not Ebola. It is not as fatal with the case-fatality ratio in Africa ranging from 1% and 10%, while that of Ebola ranges between 25% to 90%. They are only similar in the sense that they are both viral zoonosis, that is, transmitted to humans from animals, and they are both contagious.

2. Precisely, monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. Its symptoms are similar to those of Smallpox which was eradicated in 1980 but less fatal. However, monkeypox occurs occasionally in remote parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.

3. Infection of index cases is usually from direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or mucosal lesions of infected animals. Eating inadequately cooked meat of infected animals is a possible risk factor.

4. The symptoms usually manifest within 6 to 16 days of infection. Symptoms are fever, intense headache, swelling of the lymph node, back pain, muscle ache, lack of energy, skin eruption with rashes often beginning on the face and then spreading elsewhere on the body.

Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to the extent of virus exposure, patient health status and severity of complications.

5. There are no specific treatments or vaccines available for monkeypox infection, but outbreaks can be controlled. Vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85% effective in preventing monkeypox in the past but the vaccine is no longer available to the general public after it was discontinued following global smallpox eradication. Nevertheless, prior smallpox vaccination will likely result in a milder disease course.

Read more:
https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html
https://ynaija.com/11-need-know-monkeypox-disease-ravaging-bayelsa/
http://punchng.com/breaking-monkeypox-hits-bayelsa-medical-doctor-10-others-quarantined/