Monkeypox is a mild contagious disease that is endemic in western and central Africa. And infection with the disease in its infancy was caused by contact with an infected animal, but now it is transmitted from one person to another.
The disease spread to a number of non-African countries, such as Spain, Greece, the United States and Canada, and reached the Middle East, with Israel recording the first infection in the region.
This disease spreads through direct contact, such as touching an infected person’s clothes or saliva, and sexual contact is one of the main causes of infection.
Because infection occurs through direct contact with an infected person, it can be easily contained through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene as soon as a new infection is diagnosed.
People who contract the virus initially have a fever, before a rash appears on the face and body. Symptoms also include headaches, muscle aches, backaches, chills and fatigue.
Monkeypox can then be transmitted by touching infected areas, or by droplets during coughing and sneezing..
Returning to the period during which the infected person poses a danger to others, the expert in emerging infectious diseases at the American Johns Hopkins University, Amish Adalja, confirmed to the British newspaper, “Daily Mail”, that the infected person is able to transmit the disease for up to 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms.
He explained that the reason behind the long period is that “skin lesions may take a few weeks to disappear,” stressing that “people are contagious until their active skin lesions disappear.”
For his part, Michael Head Adalja, a global health expert at the University of Southampton in England, agreed.
He said: “Based on previous monkeypox outbreaks, and guidance from UK health authorities and the World Health Organization, the contagious period (i.e. when the virus is transmitted to another person) can be compared to the time period in which the rash and blisters are present.”.
And he continued, “This may be for two weeks, and the period may be longer.”.
It is reported that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)On Friday, it approved the smallpox drug to treat monkeypox patients, while the World Health Organization revealed that it will hold daily meetings as the situation develops..
