Contents:
Monkeypox, also known as mpox, is on the rise, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency over the concerning surge in recent cases.
Monkeypox is related to smallpox, which has been eradicated for over 40 years, and is spread through close contact or contact with materials that have touched an infected person. It can also be spread between animals and humans. The disease causes mild initial symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, making it easy to be confused with another virus like the flu or even the coronavirus. However, once the real disease takes effect, serious rashes occur all over the body, and painful lesions soon follow. After a couple of weeks, the lesions usually scab over and go away on their own, but if you have mpox-like symptoms, make sure to get treated as quick as possible to make sure it doesn't spread. The disease isn't normally deadly, but it can be fatal, especially in young children or people with weaker immune systems.
There are two types of mpox, clade I and clade II. Clade I is more severe and has a higher death rate-- the fatality rate for clade I is around 10%, while the rate for clade II is under 1%. While a massive outbreak of mpox in 2022 was fueled by a strain of clade II, clade IIb, the a mutation of the deadlier clade I is responsible for the latest outbreak. Unfortunately, not a lot of research has been done on mpox, meaning that some of its long-term effects and easier ways to stop it are still unknown.
Due to a lack of clean water resources and vaccines in Africa, the continent as a whole has suffered greatly from mpox. Clade IIb struck western, central, and eastern Africa hard in 2022, and it still occurs commonly across West Africa in countries like Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria. Meanwhile, clade I is endemic to central Africa, primarily in countries like DRC and the Congo. Millions of vaccines were requested following the severe outbreaks across the continent in 2022, but none were ever delivered, worsening the condition.
Now, mpox has struck Africa once again, with clade Ib making waves in the DRC. The mutation has been reported in at least 14 African countries, and the first case of clade I mpox outside Africa was recently reported in Sweden. Many African countries are attempting to curb the spread, but it will be tough with depleted resources to treat the infected and almost no vaccines to help prevent it from infecting others. While many more developed countries, such as the United States and most of Europe, have the resources to vaccinate people who are more at risk, this is a reminder that many countries in Africa don't have those kinds of resources, making their populations much more vulnerable to infections from various diseases.
WHO and The Vaccine Alliance are working to supply vaccines to the DRC and Nigeria, which are experiencing some of the worst outbreaks, as soon as possible, hoping to supply almost 3 million of them by the end of the year. They are also funding more mpox research to learn more about the disease and how to further stop its spread, potentially curbing cases across Africa.
While mpox is unlikely to become another pandemic like COVID-19 due to the fact that it is not spread as easily, it is still a threat to the public, so make sure to watch out for it -- no matter where you live -- and stay away from anyone experiencing severe rashes or lesions around their body.
Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Diamonds actually degrade into graphite, the material used for pencil lead, over time. However, the process takes around a billion years, so there's no need to about your jewelry.
Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. Take the opportunity and make it perfect. (Sam Mendes)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Tchotchke (noun)- Tchotchke refers to a small object used for decoration. It's a synonym of knickknack and trinket. It is pronounced as "chachka."
In a Sentence: Their shelves were cluttered with tchotchkes from a lifetime of vacations.
Comments