Monkeypox Symptoms and Treatment: How Deadly Is Monkeypox Virus? There are now seven instances of monkeypox in the UK, with cases found in the South East, North East, and London.
“The risk to the UK public remains low,” according to the UK Health Security Agency. However, there have been documented occurrences of monkeypox-related deaths.
Monkeypox Symptoms and Treatment: How Deadly Is Monkeypox Virus? Global Death Rate Unveiled
Monkeypox appears to be spreading globally for the first time in an outbreak that has caught health officials off-guard.
The UK has recorded seven cases of the virus but the majority of them are not linked which suggests more are going undetected.
Spain and Portugal have also spotted the virus for the first time ever and the US is monitoring six people who were on a flight with a positive case.
So the symptoms of Monkey-pox are:
– headache
– fever
– rash on the face and genitals
– irresistible urge to throw shit at people.I’ve had this for weeks… ???#monkeypox #MonkeypoxVirus
— YNWA 2.0 ? (@JP__75) May 20, 2022
The majority of patients in the UK are gay or bisexual men, as are the eight Spanish men suspected of having the disease.
Portuguese officials have confirmed five men tested positive and over a dozen more are thought to be infected.
Health chiefs in the UK say the pattern of transmission is ‘highly suggestive of spread in sexual networks’.
Until now monkeypox had only been detected in four countries outside of Africa — the UK, US, Israel and Singapore, all of whom had links to Nigeria and Ghana.
Infections are more common in central and western Africa, where they can result from direct contact with infected animals.
Viral Monkeypox disease has not been detected in the Philippines yet, says @DOHgovph Symptoms include fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes; transmitted through close contact. It has been found in Europe, the US, Canada l, and the UK @gmanews pic.twitter.com/AXISBwx5I6
— Joseph Morong ?? (@Joseph_Morong) May 20, 2022
Monkeypox can kill up to one in 10 people it infects — but the strain spreading globally is milder and has a fatality rate of about one in 100.
That is roughly the same as the first strain of Covid that came out of Wuhan, however vaccines and natural immunity have since made the coronavirus much weaker.
Monkeypox’s similarity to smallpox means jabs and drugs against that virus are also effective.
Where Has Monkeypox Been Detected In The UK?
So far, seven cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the UK.
The virus has been detected in the South East, North East and London.
Those patients needing medical care are all in specialist infectious disease units at the Royal Free Hospital, Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne and Guys’ and St Thomas’.
According to the UKHSA: “The individuals have the West African clade of the virus, which is mild compared to the Central African clade.”
The UKHSA added: “Due to the recent increase in cases and uncertainties around where some of these individuals acquired their infection, we are working closely with NHS partners to identify if there may have been more cases in recent weeks, as well as international partners to understand if similar rises have been seen in other countries.”
What Are The Symptoms of Monkeypox?
Initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.
A rash can develop, often beginning on the face, then spreading to other parts of the body including the genitals.
Fears of a local #monkeypox outbreak have been dismissed after many with apparent symptoms were found to have been out in the sun while wearing crocs…. pic.twitter.com/HRytzvDl2T
— Tim McElligott (@TimMcElligott4) May 20, 2022
The rash changes and goes through different stages and can look like chickenpox or syphilis, before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.
Is There A Cure? Monkeypox Treatment
Because monkeypox is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox, jabs for smallpox can also protect people from getting monkeypox.
One vaccine, Jynneos, also known as Imvamune or Imvanex, has been licensed in the US, but it’s not approved in the UK.
The vaccine was shown to be around 85 per cent effective in preventing monkeypox infection.
Antivirals and pooled blood from individuals vaccinated against smallpox can be used to treat severe cases.
