Imagine having an extremely high fever, a sore throat, and nausea all at the same time, but wait, it gets worse… Imagine having painful blisters all over your body on top of all of that. Monkeypox cases have been rising to extreme heights in the past couple of months, and many are worried about this new pandemic spreading and putting the world in yet another lockdown.
MonkeyPox is a new virus that was discovered earlier this year, slightly similar to chicken pox or smallpox, but with an entirely different set of severe side effects. If someone were to get infected, some side effects include: painful rashes or blisters, a high fever, headaches, a sore throat, and chills- according to the CDC. Many have been in a state of panic after hearing the news about a new outbreak, but there are certain steps and precautions that we can take to reduce the spread.
According to research done by the CDC, it states that monkeypox is spread through skin to skin contact with someone who has monkeypox, a surface that someone with monkeypox has touched, or by touching a direct monkeypox rash. The virus can be prevented by avoiding contact with anything that someone with monkeypox has touched, washing your hands often, disinfecting often-touched surfaces like door handles, and getting vaccinated if possible.
Many are wondering the same thing: Where and when can I get vaccinated? As of now, the only people who are eligible to receive the vaccine are those who work in high-exposure fields, anyone who has recently been in contact with someone who tested positive for monkeypox, and anyone who is gay, bisexual, or transgender. As far as treatment goes, the CDC reports that hospitalization is rarely needed, and will recover in around 2-4 weeks, but self-isolation will be needed in order to recover. While monkeypox seems to be a severe virus, there have only been around 14 confirmed deaths worldwide, from a total of around 57,000 confirmed cases.
As monkeypox continues to spread, it is important that people continue to be educated and learn about new epidemics and viruses, as well as how to prevent them.
https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/if-sick/treatment.html
