A Closer Look at Monkeypox: What is This Pathogen and How is it Transmitted?

The viral disease called monkeypox has been making headlines since its recent outbreak. The ongoing disease was confirmed in May 2022, when a cluster of cases was found in the United Kingdom, of which the confirmed case was linked to an individual traveling from Nigeria.

But what is monkeypox and how is it transmitted? ScienceAlert defined monkeypox virus as a pathogen in the Orthopoxvirus family, and a close relative of smallpox virus. It may spread through contact with contaminated body fluids or infected humans and other animals. In some cases, it can cause mild to severe illness - and even death.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a rare disease which first occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Although this is exactly how it got its name, its true source remains unknown.

Monkeypox Symptoms

Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headaches, muscle and back aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion, approximately a week or two after contracting infection. The most common visible sign that you have monkeypox is the rash several days later, which goes through different stages before healing completely.

The rash looks like pimples or blisters that usually appear on or around the face inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. These can progress into blistery pustules that scab before it heals in the following weeks. Sometimes, the rash appears first in some people before the other symptoms, others experience the opposite.

As per CDC, monkeypox is not related to chickenpox at all. In fact, it is regarded as self-limiting, meaning it is less severe and rarely fatal. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Nevertheless, monkeypox is still a serious illness that carries a risk of ongoing complications. Its fatal effects may include sepsis and encephalitis to blindness from eye infections. Medical treatment or vaccination is still a must.

The Next Pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the outbreak of monkeypox to be a global health emergency of international concern, with more than 16,000 cases across 74 countries at the time of its announcement.

Although experts are unable to reach a consensus on whether this highest level of caution was warranted, outbreaks in the past show that infections have been limited to a handful of people, with little to no human-to-human transmission, therefore spread has previously been restricted.

Unlike coronavirus, monkeypox virus is not airborne, which means it can't spread through the air. Having a smallpox vaccine is effective enough against the virus, and authorities already know what to do should concerns continue to escalate, so the virus's apparent spread does not equate to SARS-CoV-2.

What it does represent is that the viruses move with increased travel and relaxed hygiene. Although the disease is causing global concern, it is actually not the first time it has been detected outside of African populations.

71 cases of the illness were reported to the CDC across six US states in mid-2003, which were traced back to infected prairie dogs purchased from an animal distributor in Illinois. It was then infected by Gambian giant rats and dormice imported from Ghana.

Although the concurrent outbreaks may have had the appearance of a potential pandemic, there have fortunately been no reported deaths at the time of this writing, nor possible mutations observed.