The so-called monkeypox is on everyone's lips - no wonder, since we were just in the middle of a pandemic. Many people are now worried that this could be a new, dangerous disease. Does that mean lockdowns again? What is actually known about this disease so far? How is it transmitted, how contagious is it and is it dangerous? Today we would like to answer all of these questions.
Monkeypox – what is it?
Anyone who follows the news has already heard about the first onescases in Great Britainheard: There are now several infected people there. The so-called monkeypox virus was first detected in a traveler returning from Nigeria. But a short time later, further cases became known, without any contact with this returning traveler and without being connected to Africa. Monkeypox in Germany has so far been detected in four people.
What is monkeypox? The disease occurs primarily in Central and West Africa. The infections in Great Britain are a West African variant, which is also the milder of all. The disease is not new, but has been known for a long time. What is so worrying, however, is the fact that the majority of those infected do not appear to have any connection with Africa, while previous infections always occurred during travel or were due to animal imports and could therefore be traced back there.
So, how did this monkeypox transmission happen?
How do you usually get infected?
How do you get monkeypox? You become infected through contact with people who are already infected and it doesn't matter whether they are people or animals, but rodents are primarily hosts of the monkeypox virus. The disease was first diagnosed in a human in the Congo in 1970. Droplet infection, but also the consumption of infected animals, are the transmission routes.
While smallpox previously spread mainly regionally in Africa, the virus now probably has a change that could put it on a par with the smallpox virus we know. So it could definitely become globally relevant.
Typical symptoms of the disease
The monkeypox virus causes various symptoms in the infected person. They are similar to themthe smallpox disease we all know(exterminated since 1980). The good news, however, is that monkeypox is generally milder than smallpox, as follows:
Monkeypox symptoms:
- Fever as the first symptom; up to 40 degrees; suddenly starts
- severe headache
- severe body pain
- Sore throat
- Cough
- swollen lymph nodes
- fatigue
- skin changes after the first few days
The condition usually heals within two to four weeks.
Changes in the skin
The skin changes represent spots, pustules, nodules or even blisters and occur particularly on the face as well as on the inner surfaces of the hands and the soles of the feet. In rare cases, the genitals and even the conjunctiva and cornea are also affected. The latter can lead to blindness, although extremely rarely and in severe cases.
The rashes crust over time and then fall off on their own.
If a smallpox infection is suspected, one is recommendedSelf-isolation, as is common with other smallpoxes. In Belgium, a mandatory quarantine of 21 days has already been set, but this only applies to infected people and not to contact persons. If the course is not worrisome, only the symptoms are treated and a secondary infection caused by bacteria is possibly prevented.
Monkeypox – how dangerous is it?
Is monkeypox dangerous or even fatal? Especially due to the Corona times, people are naturally worried about whether the situation could repeat itself with a new virus variant.
Although the monkeypox pathogens generally do not cause severe disease, there are risk groups in which it can be more dangerous. These are:
- People with immunodeficiency
- younger people and especially small children
- Monkeypox during pregnancy can cause miscarriage
But is monkeypox deadly? Yes, although extremely rare. According to the RKI, two to ten percent of cases end fatally. For this reason, you should consult a doctor if you suspect infection with this virus, especially if you belong to one of the risk groups.
Smallpox vaccination protects against monkeypox
If smallpox is so similar, couldn't the smallpox vaccine, which has already successfully eradicated smallpox, also be effective against this type of smallpox?
Good effectiveness is actually suspected. This assumption is supported, among other things, by the fact that younger people usually have a more severe course than those over 40 years old. When smallpox was eradicated, vaccinations also stopped, meaning the younger generations are no longer vaccinated. And that is exactly what explains the milder symptoms in older people.
However, there are no approved smallpox vaccinations in Germany that could also be used against monkeypox.
