First case of monkeypox registered in Serbia: What we know about this disease

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The first imported and confirmed case of monkeypox has been registered in Serbia. The case has been diagnostically recognized and the patient therapeutically taken care of, the Batut Institute of Public Health of Serbia has announced.

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Monkeypox, like coronavirus, is what is known as a zoonotic virus; that means it can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Clinical symptoms are similar to those seen in the past in patients with smallpox. But while monkeypox is genetically similar to smallpox, the disease it causes is less severe.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, which means that it is constantly present and causes about 9,000 infections a year. There are two strains, one originating from West Africa and most likely the one that is now causing the global epidemic, and the other from the Congo, which is more deadly.

The name suggests that the virus originated in monkeys, but scientists cannot be sure. What they know is where it was first identified - in laboratory monkeys in 1958, hence the name. However, natural hosts are thought to be rodents such as rats, mice, and squirrels, not monkeys.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox

Symptoms begin between the fifth and 21st day after a person gets infected and can be confused with the flu.

Clinical symptoms include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle ache. The skin rash usually starts within one to three days after the fever.

Symptoms can last from two to four weeks, and in most cases the patient will recover. However, severe cases can be seen in children and people with compromised immune systems.

How is it transmitted?

Monkeypox can be transmitted from animals to humans and from humans to humans.

Transmission from animal to human occurs after direct contact with blood, body fluids or lesions in the mouth of infected animals. In Africa, monkeypox has been confirmed in some species of squirrels, rats, monkeys... Consuming undercooked meat can also be a risk factor.

On the other hand, human-to-human transmission can occur after contact with respiratory secretions or lesions on the skin of an infected person. Infection is also possible after contact with a recently contaminated object. It is also known that monkeypox can be transmitted from mother to fetus, but it is not yet known whether it is transmitted sexually.

Where possible, experts call for infected persons to sleep in separate rooms and use separate toilets. If this is not possible, physical contact should be avoided and occupants in a household should be kept at least one meter away from the infected person.

It is especially important that infected people be separated from pregnant women, small children and people with weakened immunity.

Is this disease deadly?

It is spoken of as the "cousin" of smallpox, which is enough to instill fear because that virus killed millions before it was eradicated in the 1980s, thanks to vaccines. However, monkeypox is less severe and less deadly. The mortality rate is from three to six percent, while mortality rate is higher in young children. The mortality rate from the West African strain is estimated to be around one percent.

(Telegraf.rs)