The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said that the number of mpox cases has surpassed 45,000 since the beginning of the year. During an online media briefing, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said that since the beginning of this year, a total of 18 African countries had reported 45,327 monkeypox cases, of which 9,114 were confirmed, while the number of deaths had surpassed the 1,000 mark.
Kaseya also said that in the past week alone, the African continent reported 2,729 new cases, of which 1,001 were confirmed, and 36 new deaths were recorded. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi accounted for 96 per cent of all new confirmed cases.
Africa CDC data shows that the Central Africa region registered 85.5 per cent of all reported cases and 99.5 per cent of deaths. In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency. Soon after, the World Health Organization (WHO) also declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern.
Mpox, earlier known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that’s caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a zoonotic disease and was first discovered in monkeys. Hence, it was named monkeypox. Mpox usually causes painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. While most people recover from the condition, some people might get very sick.
The virus spreads from person to person through touch, kissing or sex. However, from animals, it usually spreads when hunting, skinning, or cooking them. It can also spread from contaminated sheets, clothes or needles and from infected pregnant mothers to their unborn babies.
Symptoms of Mpox
The symptoms of mpox tend to show within 21 days of contracting the virus. Symptoms may include flu, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and a cough. Other symptoms of mpox include:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fever and chills
- Headache
- Backache
- Feeling very tired
- Muscle aches and backaches.
Mayo Clinic says that about 1 to 4 days after the flu-like symptoms, people usually get a skin rash. Often, the mpox rash first appears on the face, hands or feet and then spreads to other parts of the body. The rash also may start in the genital area, mouth or throat. There may be many rash spots, a few spots or just one.
How Does Mpox Spread?
The virus that causes mpox can spread to humans from animals or from person to person. The virus can spread from person to person through the following ways:
- Direct contact with the rashes, scabs or body fluids of a person with mpox
- Close, face-to-face contact, intimate activities and sexual contact
- Contact with fabrics or objects that have touched the rashes or body fluids of a person with mpox
- A pregnant person who gets mpox can pass the virus to the unborn baby.
- The virus also can spread to humans from direct contact with an infected animal, which includes:
- Animal bites or scratches
- Contact with the animal’s waste or body fluids
- In places where mpox spreads regularly, processing animals for food, including hunting or trapping, skinning, cooking or eating.
(With inputs from IANS)