Nagpur: The United States has reported a rare case of the monkeypox virus in a man who had recently travelled to Canada.
Infections have been reported in many parts of Europe and the infected patient is now receiving treatment for the same in the hospital.
The health department stated that the case poses no risk as such to the public. This is the first case reported in the US this year. Last year, two cases were reported from Texas and Maryland and had travel history to Nigeria.
Britain in total has reported nine cases of monkeypox since May 7.
History
Monkeypox was first identified in the 1950s when two outbreaks occurred in the colonies of the monkeys used for research purposes. The first human case was reported 20 years later, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
The disease is a relative of smallpox which causes a rash that mainly begins on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
The disease can be caught from a bite by an infected animal or even touching its blood, body fluids and fur. Often spread through rodents such as rats, mice and squirrels. One can also be infected by eating meat from an infected animal that hasn’t been cooked properly.
Symptoms:
If one gets infected with monkeypox, the symptoms usually develop five to 21 days for the first symptoms to appear. These include a fever, a headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering and exhaustion.
Cure:
Currently, there is no specific treatment for the infection. The disease’s mortality rate is one in 10 infected people according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
