What is mpox, How is it spread?

What is empox, how is it spread?

The prevalence of this virus is being observed in remote rural areas of the tropical rainforests of Africa. One of the most affected countries is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

Every year hundreds of thousands of people are What is empox, how is it spread? affected by empox in this region, hundreds of them die. Especially children under 15 years of age are more affected.

There are two main types of Empox—clade 1 and clade 2. Earlier in 2022, the health agency declared a health emergency due to Mpox. This emergency was issued for relatively mild infections of clade 2 types.

However, more lethal clade 1 infections are now being seen. In the past, the death rate among such infected people was up to 10 percent. Now the death rate is also increasing.

As of July 2022, the mild clade 2 strain of Empox has spread to nearly 100 countries. Among them were some countries of Asia and Europe. The infection was brought under control by vaccinating at-risk groups.

Around September last year, the Mpox virus mutated. The new species created by this transformation is named clade 1b. Since then it has been spreading rapidly. One scientist called it the 'most dangerous ever'.

Last Tuesday, African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists also declared the disease a public health emergency. The head of the agency, Jean Kessia, warned that the current outbreak could spiral out of control if swift action is not taken to prevent the transmission of monkeypox.

The CDC says there have been more than 14,500 cases of measles since the beginning of this year through last July. At least 450 people died in it. Compared to the same period in 2023, the infection rate is 160 percent higher and the death rate is 19 percent higher.

96% of empox infections are detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But it has spread to many neighboring countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. It has not yet spread widely in countries.

Vaccination and health care for pox are not readily available in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a result, health workers fear that the disease will spread further.

Analysts say new types of pox are spreading more easily and causing more complications and deaths among children and adults.

Symptoms of empox

Early symptoms include fever, headache, sweating, back pain and muscle aches. Once the fever clears, a skin rash may appear. Often this rash starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. Especially on the palms and soles of the feet.

The rash may be very itchy or painful. Over time the rash changes and goes through several stages before finally turning into a scab. The scabs later dry up and fall off. Scars may appear on the body.

The infection usually clears up on its own and lasts 14 to 21 days. In severe infections, sores can appear all over the body, especially the face, eyes and genitals.

How it spreads

Monkeypox virus is transmitted to others through close contact with an infected person. Such exposure includes physical contact, skin contact, close talking or breathing.

The virus enters the body through broken skin, breathing, eyes, nose or mouth. In addition, empox can be spread by touching objects that have the virus on them, such as bedding, clothes, and towels.

Another means of transmission is infected animals, such as monkeys, rats and squirrels.