All the CDC wants you to know about monkeypox and the current level of risk

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released information on the monkeypox situation in the U.S., which is linked to the rise of a multinational outbreak. He also used the time to ask open-ended questions and allay some unfounded fears.

To date, there are five confirmed and probable cases in the United States. One confirmed case of smallpox in the United States was discovered last week in a man from Massachusetts who recently traveled to Canada. Four probable cases include one in New York, one in Florida and two in Utah.

These four cases are likely because they all tested positive for orthopoxvirus, a family of viruses that includes monkeypox and smallpox. They are considered suspected cases of monkeypox and are considered as such until the CDC conducts secondary testing to confirm monkeypox.

All five confirmed and probable cases in the U.S. are by men, and all have a history of international travel that corresponds to a multinational outbreak.

The CDC also used today’s briefing to highlight that it sequenced the monkeypox virus genome from the original case in Massachusetts. The genetic sequence is very similar to the case in Portugal.

Worldwide, there are nearly 250 confirmed and suspected cases from 17 countries, most of which are in Europe. Approximately 165 cases have been confirmed and 83 are suspected (you can track the increase in numbers here and here). Cases are predominantly in men and in particular in men who identify themselves as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men (MSM).

This is an unusual outbreak, which health officials around the world say it requires immediate attention and prompt action. However, the risk to the general population is still considered low.

“It’s not easily transmitted by the virus through airborne droplets and the like,” said Captain Jennifer McQueston, deputy director of the CDC’s high-impact department, at today’s briefing.

“It’s not COVID,” she added. “We know a lot about monkeypox from many decades of its study, and its spread through the airways is not a major concern. It’s contact – and intimate contact – in the current outbreak and population. And that’s really what we wanted to emphasize.”

The following is a short list of critical questions and answers:

What is the monkeypox virus?

Monkeypox is a DNA virus that is a smallpox that infects animals and is endemic to the forested areas of Central and West Africa. It is unclear which animals or animals act as a reservoir for monkeypox, but rodents are the main suspects. The virus can also infect rats, squirrels, meadow dogs, various species of monkeys and other animals.

It got its name when researchers first discovered the virus in monkeys in a Danish laboratory in 1958. according to the World Health Organization. The first human case was detected in a child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.

It is generally believed that humans become infected while hunting and working with wildlife and meat bushes.

There are two smallpox monkey treasures: the West African treasure trove and the Congo Basin treasure trove. The West African treasure is the softer of the two, with an estimated human mortality rate of about 1 percent. It is estimated that the death rate in the Congo Basin reaches 10 percent.

What class is causing the current outbreak?

West African treasure, softer.

What are the symptoms?

After infection, a person usually develops symptoms 5-13 days after infection, but the incubation period can last from 5 to 21 days.

Monkeypox usually begins with fever and flu-like symptoms, particularly headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. After one or three days, skin lesions (rashes) develop throughout the body, but tend to focus on the face and limbs, especially on the palms of the hands and soles. The lesions begin flat at the base and then become elevated and filled with fluid. Then a crust is formed over each damage, which later falls off. According to the WHO, the number of lesions that develop in an infected person can range from a few to several thousand.

The disease usually lasts two to four weeks and passes without any special treatments.