Monkeypox: Ministry of Health advises not to panic

Already on several continents, cases of infection with a new little-known disease, monkeypox, have been recorded. Despite the name, this virus infects humans. Cases are reported in European countries (Spain, Portugal, UK), USA, Australia, Canada.

Scientists and doctors have taken this disease with increased attention because it used to be extremely rare and usually not transmitted to people. Currently, doctors say that this disease, although unpleasant, is not fatal.

Monkey pox: what you need to know about the disease

Monkeypox virus belongs to the smallpox virus family. It is less contagious and the disease is milder than the common smallpox.

Monkeypox can be contracted by anyone who has had close contact with an infected person. Transmission of infection occurs due to broken skin, respiratory tract or eyes, as a result of direct contact with blood or body fluids. The disease can also be transmitted sexually. In addition to humans, the virus can be picked up through contaminated bedding or clothing, as well as from infected animals (one of the possible factors may be eating the meat of infected animals that have not received proper heat treatment).

The incubation period for monkeypox can range from 5 to 21 days. The initial symptoms of the disease are fever, headaches, muscle and back pain. After the temperature drops (about 5 days), a rash appears on the face, which then spreads to other parts of the body (palms, feet). If the infection occurred during intercourse, the primary location of the rash may be the genitals. The rash can be accompanied by rather unpleasant painful sensations and itching. Sometimes there may be an increase in lymph nodes. The infection lasts from 14 to 21 days.

What is important to remember to prevent the spread of infection? First of all, it is necessary to disseminate information about ailments, ways of its spread. As with COVID-19, handwashing remains an effective prevention tool.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine has collected all the known information about this disease, because it receives a lot of questions about the monkeypox virus, and the most common of them were answered in infographics.

You can get acquainted with the infographics on the page of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine .

And once again, we remind you that you should not panic. In Ukraine, cases of this type of smallpox have not been recorded. The Ministry of Health is monitoring the course of events and, in the event of new information about the disease, they promise to promptly convey it to the general public.