Monkey pox...who is scared?

courtesy CDC Nigeria infographic

Nigerians woke up some weeks ago to the news of monkeypox in our dear country Nigeria and it almost resulted into panics in homes, schools, hospitals and also quickly became the focus of the press. We have always known that bad news is good for the press.

Little was known about this disease until then and one wonders if rare diseases have finally found a playground in our dear country. God forbid!

How much do you know about this rare disease? Check your facts here.

Monkeypox is a caused by a virus which resides in some wild animals. The virus can spread from animal to man and can also spread from man to man. The spread from animal to mal is probably by biting, contact with the animal's body fluid especially if you have a wound or a small breach on your skin. It can also be transferred from man to man when one sneezes into the mouth nose or eyes of the other person. There must really be a close contact for a man to spread it to his neighbour, however, this kind of spread is not so common.

A person develops symptoms within 5-21 days after contacting it. The common symptoms are fever and headache for about 3 days and then the characteristic rash which is bigger than that of chicken pox and starts from the face to the thick skin of the hands and feet and subsequently other parts of the body. 

The treatment is mainly supportive that is the doctor treats the symptoms and makes the patient comfortable, although some drugs can be used. The illness usually would run its natural course and stop. The west African type of the monkeypox is mild and does not usually cause and death. Death from monkeypox is more likely in younger children, elderly and pregnant women.

In all, monkeypox isn't so fatal, does not spread so fast or so easily from person to person. We can easily prevent it by washing hands regularly, cooking meats thoroughly, avoiding ill or rash covered bush animals and isolating suspected or infected people. 

Please allow trained healthcare workers handle the treatment with a good enough protection so that they themselves do not catch the pox.

If you read to this point, remember to share this page with your friends and practise all precautionary measures to protect yourself from contacting monkeypox.

This article was packaged by Drs Dami Olabanji and Sola Fajobi.