Monkeypox, the first possible occurrence also being investigated in the Czech Republic, is usually a mild viral disease. Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, explains that despite the concerns, there is no need to panic.
The global spread of monkeypox is cause for concern but not panic, said British professor Jimmy Whitworth. | Video: Reuters
“It usually starts with a fever and headache. People can get swollen glands. And then there’s a characteristic rash like pus. And that’s usually what’s contagious. And it spreads to the scabs. It’s usually spread by close contact, either by skin-to-skin contact or by skin-to-skin contact. by touching a bed or plate together. And if you’re very close, it can also spread from a cough,” explains Whitworth, noting that most people recover and recover completely within a few weeks. .
The first European case was confirmed on May 7 in a person who had returned to the UK from Nigeria, where monkeypox is endemic. “This virus is not going to spread and get into the general population and cause an epidemic like the coronavirus,” Whitworth told Reuters on May 19.
“The strain that’s endemic in Europe right now is the West African strain, which has a mortality rate of about one in a hundred. So it’s milder than the Central African strain, but it’s still a serious disease,” added Whitworth. .
People who may have been infected and brought the disease to the Czech Republic were attending a music festival in Antwerp in Belgium in early May. The samples are now being examined by the State Institute of Health, which already suspects two more cases.
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