Guide on the Monkeypox Symptoms and Other Important Details You Should Know
MONKEYPOX SYMPTOMS – Here is a guide on the signs of this infectious disease also called the Mpox and how it spreads.
Are you one of the people who are monitoring the cases of monkeypox in the Philippines? Also called the Mpox, undeniably, there are a lot of Filipinos now who are worried that the disease may spread after some cases have been recorded in certain regions around the country.
Instead of fretting out, it is best to know the most important details about the Monkeypox first. This disease is Zoonotic — meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. It is a viral illness caused by a virus which is a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.
Monkeypox can also be trasmitted from human to human. Based on an article on Healthline, there are actually two (2) sources of this disease — the Congo Basin virua and the West African virus. This viral illness is active in several parts in Africa.
Since the 1970s, the Monkeypox or Mpox has occured in the following places:
- Benin
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Gabon
- Liberia
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
What are the Monkeypox symptoms? With regards to the signs of this Zoonotic disease, they are similar to the signs of the small but, as per the article, they are usually milder. Since contract to the virus that cause the disease, it may range from 5 to 21 days before the signs will appear.
Among the Monkeypox symptoms, the usual first sign of the viral illness is fever. Here are the signs that a person infected with the Mpox virus may experience:
- fever
- fatigue
- headache
- swollen lymph nodes, also known as lymphadenopathy
- back ache
- muscle aches
- chills
Based on the article, after the person experiences fever, a rash may appear from 1 to 3 days later. However, the rash may also appear prior to the fever or other flu-like signs. It is usually present in the following areas:
- face, which is the most common site
- mouth
- eyes, including the conjunctivae and cornea
- soles of your feet
- palms of your hands
The rash would go through lesions that develop based on the following series:
- macules, or flat discolored lesions
- papules, or slightly raised lesions
- vesicles, or bumps with clear fluid
- pustules, or bumps with yellowish fluid
- scabs
According to the article, after the lesions dry and scab over, they fall off. The Monkeypox symptoms may all take between 2 to 4 weeks.
How does the Monkeypox disease spreads? With regards to the transmission of the Mpox, it may be passed on through any of th following cases:
- blood
- bodily fluids
- skin or mucous lesions
- respiratory droplets, for human-to-human contact
- contact with objects, fabrics, or surfaces that contain the mpox virus
- pregnancy
- direct contact with another person like hugging, massaging, or kissing
- prolonged face-to-face contact
- eating the meat of an animal with a mpox infection
- bites and scratches from animals with a mpox infection