Tips on how to avoid monkey pox infection

Monkey pox is a rare disease that occurs mainly in the remote parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rain forest. It is a viral zoonosis disease transmitted from animal to man. It is similar to small pox but is milder It has been recently discovered in south south region of Nigeria

As of Friday, 6th of October 49 persons are on surveillance while 9 have been confirmed dead. Some of the things to know about monkey pox include;

·         Monkey pox is primarily contacted from a monkey and transmitted from human to human especially through body fluids. So be careful with your pets.

·         Another channel of contact is through contact with materials contaminated by the virus.

·         Case fatality in monkey pox outbreak has been between 1% to 10%  with most death occurring in young age group.

·         There is no treatment or vaccines available

Signs and Symptoms

The incubation period can range from 5 to 21 days.

The infection can be divided into two periods;

1. The invasion period (0-5days) characterized by fever, intense headache, lymphadenopathy  (swelling of the lymph node), back pain, muscle ache and lack of energy(asthenia)
2. The skin eruption period (within 1-3 days after appearance of fever); this normally begins with the face and then spreads to every other parts of the body.

During human monkey pox outbreak, close contacts with other patients is the most significant risk factor for monkey pox infection. We should focus on reducing contacts with infected persons.

Bush meat should be cooked properly

Wear gloves while handling infected animals or humans

To view pictures of monkey pox patients click here.

Anuli