Monkeypox, a possible first occurrence also being investigated in the Czech Republic, is usually a mild viral illness. Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, explains that while there is cause for concern, there is no need to panic.
The global spread of monkeypox is concerning but not panic, says British professor Jimmy Whitworth. | Videos: Reuters
“It usually starts with a fever and a headache. People can get swollen glands. And then there’s a characteristic rash like pus. And it’s usually contagious. And it’s contagious until it scabs. It’s usually spread through close contact, either through skin-to-skin contact or by touching shared bed or dishes. And if you’re very close together, then it can also be spread from coughing,” Whitworth explains, noting that most people recover and make a full recovery 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 is 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 still a serious disease,” Whitworth added. .
People who could have caught 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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