The first case of monkeypox has been identified in Italy. He was identified at the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute in Rome in a young Italian returning from a stay in the Canary Islands, says Inmi. But what are the symptoms of the disease? How is it transmitted? What is the mortality? A rare viral disease, monkeypox is found mostly in tropical countries in Central and West Africa. It is so named because it was discovered in laboratory monkeys in 1958. Later, animal studies in Africa found evidence of infection in squirrels, which are believed to play an important role as natural hosts of the disease. Human-to-human transmission of the virus occurs with an incubation period of approximately 12 days (7 to 21 days).
Symptoms, transmission, disease duration
This disease is caused by the Monkeypox virus which belongs to the orthopoxvirus group. In humans, the clinical features of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox. Approximately 12 days after exposure, the disease manifests as fever, headache, body aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, general malaise, and fatigue. Within 1 to 3 days (sometimes longer) after the onset of the fever, the patient develops a pustular rash that usually appears first on the face, but sometimes on other parts of the body as well. The lesions typically develop in several stages before crusting and falling off. The disease generally lasts for 2 to 4 weeks. In Africa, monkeypox is fatal in about 10% of people who contract the disease. Mortality from human smallpox was about 30% of cases before the disease was eradicated.
Humans can contract monkeypox through a bite or direct contact with blood, body fluids, or injury from an infected animal. The disease could also spread from human to human, however it is far less contagious than human smallpox. The virus is thought to be transmitted orally during direct contact or prolonged face-to-face contact. Additionally, monkeypox can be spread through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person or with items contaminated with the virus such as underwear or clothing.
The cure
There is no specific treatment for monkeypox. It has been reported that in Africa the risk of contracting monkeypox is reduced in people previously vaccinated for smallpox. The potential role of the smallpox vaccine in patients exposed to monkeypox is being evaluated. Antiviral drugs, such as cidofovir, are also being considered for treatment.
How it should be done “It will be necessary to study the diffusion and the most important thing is the diagnosis: that no case escapes, to understand if it is a phenomenon that has a wide diffusion. I assume that it is not so”. Massimo Clementi, director of the Microbiology and Virology Laboratory of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, explains this to time.news Salute.
“Monkeypox – he points out – has been a minimal threat so far and therefore, if there are no paradigm changes, it will remain so with sporadic cases in countries where there is a prevalence of these animals. So far there have been very few cases. What has surprised lately is that people who have not made travel have become ill. But making a hypothesis about this is difficult, until we have enough information on these cases. areas at risk. “These are not serious cases like smallpox was before vaccination – Clementi points out – And transmissibility is not high”.
What the experts say
“So far about twenty cases have been ascertained, we will see many more: we will reach a few thousand”. These are the words of Professor Matteo Bassetti, director of the infectious disease clinic of the San Martino polyclinic in Genoa. “The smallpox vaccine works, those who have not done it are not covered,” added the expert.
“Absolutely no panic, but maximum attention”: microbologist Maria Rita Gismondo invites you to remain calm, but act quickly. “For now, these are isolated cases – the director of the Laboratory of clinical microbiology, virology and diagnostics of bio-emergencies of the Sacco hospital in Milan comments to time.news Salute – So they are cases that can be absolutely circumscribed, given that they are correctly reported. and they must be limited now “, urges the expert.