Don’t know about you, but we’re kind of over international health disasters.
Even people who did their best to shield themselves and others from COVID-19 got tired as it dragged on into its third year. Tired in their BONES.
So you might be excused if you haven’t exactly hung on every new fact about monkeypox, despite the very creepy name conjuring up a medieval plague.
What exactly is it and do you need to worry about it? We gathered (a few short) answers.
What is monkeypox?
According to the World Health Organization, “Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.”
The smallpox vaccine used to help keep people from getting it, but we all stopped taking that vaccine around 1980 when smallpox was eradicated.
Why am I hearing about this suddenly?
Cases of monkeypox used to be found mostly in central or western Africa, but a jump in cases across the globe caused the WHO to declare it a “public health emergency of international concern” on July 23.
The U.S. is up to 10,000 cases as of Aug. 12. It’s now in all states but one. And yes, that includes Indiana, which has 84 cases.
What are the symptoms?
It’s described as looking similar to smallpox, with a rash of what looks like pimples or blisters. These itch or hurt and scab over before they heal. Other symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes and body aches.
Gross. How do I get it? Or rather, not get it?
You get monkeypox through direct contact with someone else who has it—through skin-to-skin contact or by touching their things or their “respiratory secretions.”
All this touching of course includes “intimate contact,” and the fact most monkeypox sufferers are men has led to extra though somewhat controversial warnings for men who have sex with other men.
What happens if I do get it?
If you’re like literally 99% of other people, you will be fine. The 1% whom monkeypox kills is more likely to include the immunocompromised, young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and—interestingly—people with eczema.
There’s currently no treatment for monkeypox—just therapies until the illness passes. “Most people with monkeypox recover fully within two to four weeks without the need for medical treatment,” says the CDC.
What’s being done about it?
The smallpox vaccine is back for those who never had it. Those who had it years ago are probably protected—but how much that protection has waned over time is unknown.
And of course there are a lot of education campaigns out there—like this one! Just be sure the info you take in is coming from a reliable health care source. And don’t forget you can always call us.
Bottom line
It stinks. Be careful. It’s not another COVID