Monkey pox has been officially declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The first human case was confirmed in 1970, why is it now an international problem? Here’s everything you need to know.
Watch the video above to learn more about this story
Watch the latest news on Channel 7 or stream it for free on 7plus >>
Global health emergency
The WHO announced on Saturday that monkeypox is a global health emergency after multiple committee meetings.
The group was split between those who believe an emergency declaration would help contain the disease and those who don’t think it meets the criteria because of low mortality and spread between groups, sources told AAP on condition of anonymity of anonymity
The label, a “public health emergency of international concern,” otherwise only applies to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.
The WHO says a smallpox outbreak in more than 70 countries qualifies as a global health emergency.
Monkey pox is being detected in Australia. It could have been circulating “under the radar” around the world for years
New studies find that monkeypox can be spread through face-to-face contact
By sounding the alarm, WHO hopes to unlock funding and global efforts to collaborate to share vaccines and treatments.
“I have decided that the global outbreak of monkeypox represents a public health emergency of international concern,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Saturday morning.
Australia had reported 41 confirmed or probable cases as of July 19.
The United States identified its first two cases of smallpox in children on Friday, joining the 2,000 probable or confirmed cases nationwide.
More than 14,000 cases and five deaths have now been reported from 71 WHO member states.
What is monkey pox?
Monkeypox is an infection that belongs to the poxvirus family, which also includes the now-eradicated smallpox virus.
It was first discovered in humans in 1970 in central and western Africa, often near rainforests, and is considered endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
An African rodent or small mammal is believed to have been the original, not monkeys as the name suggests.
The name comes from the first documented cases in 1958, when outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research.
Human-to-human transmission occurs through skin-to-skin contact and contact with body fluids, smallpox sores, or items such as clothing and bedding that have been contaminated with the virus.
“When the lesions have healed, the scabs (which can carry infectious viruses) can be shed as a powder, which could be inhaled,” said Dr. Michael Skinner, who is part of the faculty of medicine’s department of diseases infectious diseases from Imperial College London. , in a statement.
The disease is usually mild, although some cases can be fatal.
In Africa, about one in 10 people who contract monkeypox die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, most people usually recover after two to four weeks.
Symptoms of monkey pox
Symptoms of monkeypox usually take one to two weeks to appear after the human host has been infected.
This can look like small lesions, milder than smallpox, and flu-like symptoms such as fever and headache to shortness of breath.
“One feature that distinguishes monkeypox infection from smallpox is the development of swollen lymph nodes,” the CDC said.
A rash is likely to appear and develop into pus-filled blisters, with lesions usually crusting over in just over two weeks.
Symptoms usually last two to four weeks.
Monkeypox is a viral disease with symptoms similar to smallpox but clinically less severe. Credit: Natalie Leung/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization
Monkey pox is largely not fatal, but one version of the disease is known to have a 10% mortality rate.
The currently circulating virus has a fatality rate of less than 1 percent.
How is it treated?
Smallpox vaccine can also provide protection against smallpox, but since smallpox was eradicated it is not a routine vaccine.
“Treatment is generally supportive as there are no specific drugs available,” said Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Monkeypox in Australia
The first case of monkeypox was detected in Australia in May, brought with an infected traveler from the United Kingdom.
Australia had reported 41 confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox as of July 19, with the majority at 22 in NSW and 15 in Victoria.
The initial cases are believed to have recently been contracted at super-broadcast events in Europe largely attended by LGBTIQ+ networks, which is why health experts are recommending extra vigilance in certain communities.
Although many of the recent cases have been seen in men who have sex with other men, it is not a sexually exclusive disease.
How Australia’s HIV story starkly reminds us of the dangers of stigma amid monkeypox outbreak
Deputy Premier responds to Queensland’s first monkeypox infection
What if I get infected?
If monkeypox is suspected, patients should be isolated and a doctor should be contacted.
The general public and health clinics should be aware and have unusual skin rashes examined by specialist staff, WHO said in a separate statement.
Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said there were some experimental drugs that had not been extensively tested in people.
The vaccine is adequate to reduce the risk of actual infection, but once infected, supportive treatment is available to relieve symptoms.
– With CNN, AAP, NBC