While no cases have been reported in SA, the spread of the virus to our shores is a possibility.
Lifestyle writerThe sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox in many countries suggests there has been undetected transmission for some time.At the beginning of May reports started circulating of a confirmed case of monkeypox in the UK. The infected person had reportedly travelled from Nigeria, where the virus is endemic. Then more cases were reported globally — without any travel links to African countries.
Ghebreyesus said the sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox in these countries suggests there has been undetected transmission for some time.The first case of human infection with monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms usually last between two to four weeks and may manifest as fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion.
According to an article by Pro Felicity Burt, an expert in medical virology from the University of the Free State and the National Health Laboratory Service ; Prof Dominique Goedhals, head of the division of virology at UFS and NHLS; and Dr Charles Kotzé from the NHLS and Universitas Academic Hospital, vaccination against the smallpox virus should offer 85% protection against monkeypox. As such, older people who have been vaccinated for smallpox should have some protection.
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