Hunan Daily All-media reporter Zhang Chunxiang Correspondent Zhao Shanlu Xiang Jing What hazards does it have? How to prevent it? According to the relevant points of my country's "Monkeypox Prevention and Control Technical Guidelines (2022 Edition)", on September 17, Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued relevant reminders to answer the hot issues of public concern.
What is monkeypox
Monkeypox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which was first discovered in monkeys, hence the name monkeypox. Monkeypox was previously common in Central and West Africa, and occasionally found in other countries. There are now outbreaks in many countries that had no previous cases. How popular is
? Where did the Chongqing cases come from?
From the global distribution of past epidemics, human monkeypox cases mainly occurred in West Africa and Central Africa . Human cases of monkeypox have been reported in 11 African countries since 1970, with the highest incidence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with more than 1,000 cases reported annually since 2016.
Monkeypox is an endemic infectious disease. In recent years, non-endemic countries have occasionally seen cases, usually reported in people who have traveled to endemic countries. In the rest of the world, unless there is a history of travel to Africa, few cases of monkeypox have been reported before this year. But in early May, the UK was the first to report a confirmed case of monkeypox and had not travelled to African countries where monkeypox is endemic. Subsequently, some European and American countries reported monkeypox cases one after another, and more and more cases did not have travel history to African epidemic areas. According to WHO, as of September 16, 2022, more than 60,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported, mainly in Europe and North America where monkeypox has not been prevalent before.
The confirmed cases in Chongqing are from Europe and may have been infected in Germany. How long is the incubation period for
? That is, how long does it take to get sick after infection? The incubation period of
is 5-21 days, and the onset is mostly 6-13 days after infection.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of monkeypox usually include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, back pain, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, rash or skin lesions. In the early stage of the onset, chills and fever occur, often with fever, and the body temperature is mostly above 38.5 ℃, accompanied by symptoms such as headache, drowsiness, fatigue, back pain and myalgia. Most patients have enlarged superficial lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, groin, etc. A rash appears 1-3 days after onset. The typical rash is that it first appears on the face and gradually spreads to the extremities and other parts. The rash is mostly centrifugally distributed. The rash on the face and extremities is more common than the trunk. The rash can appear on the palms and soles of the feet. The number of rashes ranges from several to There are thousands of them; it can also involve the oral mucosa, digestive tract, genitals, conjunctiva, and cornea. It takes about 2-4 weeks from the onset to the scab shedding. Erythema or hyperpigmentation may remain after the scabs fall off, and even scars may persist for several years. What are the hazards of
Monkeypox is generally considered to be a self-limiting disease. Most infected people recover within a few weeks. Severe cases are common in young children and immunocompromised people, and death can occur. In addition, the site of herpes after recovery will leave permanent scars, which will seriously reduce the quality of life for beauty lovers.
Monkeypox has had a case fatality rate of around 1-10% in the past, but monitoring of monkeypox has generally been limited in the past, so these numbers may be overestimated. It is worth noting that the mortality rate in different environments may vary due to various factors such as socioeconomic status, different medical environments, and differences in diagnosis and treatment methods.
As of September 16, 2022, 23 monkeypox deaths have been reported globally, with a case fatality rate of about 0.038%, mainly in Africa. How does
spread?
causes monkeypox to spread mainly from rodents and primates infected with monkeypox virus, including monkeys, chimpanzees, and humans. Viruses enter the human body through mucous membranes and broken skin. Humans are mainly infected by contact with infected animal lesion exudates, blood, other body fluids, droplets, or by being bitten or scratched by infected animals.
Human-to-human transmission is mainly through close contact, and about 95% of reported cases in Europe and the United States are infected through sexual behavior;It can be transmitted through droplets when in close contact with the virus, and it may also be infected by contact with virus-contaminated items. The virus can also be transmitted from a pregnant woman to the fetus through the placenta.
Risk of infection
People who live with or have close contact (including sexual contact) with monkeypox patients are at greater risk of infection, with the greatest risk being gay men. Children can become infected with monkeypox if they are in close contact with someone who is symptomatic. In this outbreak, a small number of children have been infected with monkeypox. Health care workers should take infection prevention and control measures when caring for monkeypox patients.
What to do if you suspect that you are infected with monkeypox
as soon as possible seek help from the local medical staff, or contact the local disease control department. At the same time, practice self-isolation and avoid close contact with others.
How to prevent
monkeypox virus is closely related to smallpox virus. Due to the existence of cross-immunity, smallpox vaccination can prevent monkeypox, and the protection rate is about 85%. In addition, you should also avoid contact with animals that may carry monkeypox virus (such as wild or unknown monkeys, rodents, etc.), try not to go to countries and regions where monkeypox outbreaks occur, maintain good personal hygiene habits, and avoid Have close contact with someone who may be from an affected area.
Returnees from the epidemic area should also pay attention to self-health monitoring. When symptoms such as rashes appear, they should take the initiative to seek medical treatment and inform the receiving doctor of their travel history to the epidemic area. If you have a history of contact and exposure abroad and have not yet developed symptoms, you can take the initiative to contact the local CDC for consultation. How to treat
There is no specific medicine for
, and it usually heals on its own. Doctors can use pain relievers and fever reducers to relieve symptoms. Hydrating, eating well, and getting enough sleep are all important for monkeypox sufferers.
(first instance: Zhang Chunxiang; second instance: Duan Hanmin; third instance: Yang Youhua)
