“So the initial part of monkeypox disease is identical to the flu, identical to COVID,” says one expert.
As cases of monkeypox increase in different parts of the world, many BC residents have sought information about the symptoms of the rare virus, but experts say it can be difficult to identify in its early stages.
On the one hand, the first symptoms of monkeypox are similar to a variety of other viruses. In the early stages of infection, people may experience fever, chills, severe headache, back pain, or extreme fatigue. These symptoms are present in the stages of the flu, coronavirus, colds, shingles, chickenpox, streptococcal pharyngitis, pneumonia, and many other viral and bacterial infections, so it can be difficult to determine what is happening.
No matter what infection you have, a local expert says that your behavior should stay the same if you feel sick: you should stay home.
Anyone who shows severe symptoms should go to the hospital, but most sick people should be isolated and contact their doctor to determine the next steps.
After the incubation phase of viral infections, the body begins to fight infection during the prodromal phase, says Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Center for Infectious Diseases (VIDC). During this phase, the symptoms are not specific to the virus with which someone has become infected (which is why so many viruses start with “flu-like” symptoms).
“So all viral illnesses during this viral phase of the disease where the virus replicates in the body, as the body begins to react to it, you feel bad, you have a headache, muscle aches,” he told Vancouver. Is Awesome in a Phone Interview.
“You have a fever [and] you feel very lethargic, so it’s a flu-like illness. So this initial part of monkeypox disease is identical to the flu, identical to COVID, and identical to many viral infections that we see on an ongoing basis. “
Monkeypox Canada: What to Look For
Conway, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia, adds that the risk of contracting smallpox in BC is also quite low.
In other words, there is no cause for alarm.
“But one thing we’ve learned in a COVID world is that if you’re sick, stay away from others and stay home,” he notes. “We need to be concerned whenever a new pathogen has been identified in the community. This should be a cause for concern.”
Although flu-like symptoms are indicative of numerous infections, the rash of monkeypox can also be confused with several other diseases. Part of this confusion lies in the different ways it presents itself among individuals, as well as in the limited epidemiological and laboratory information.
Some people may confuse it with another virus, such as chickenpox, because it starts with a fever and then turns into blisters on the skin that build up and go away, says Conway. Although they are quite different, they are similar enough that this could cause confusion to someone who develops symptoms.
The World Health Organization values the current global risk of the rare virus as “moderate”, as it is the first time it has spread in large groups without direct direct travel links to areas they have experienced for a long time. the smallpox of the monkey “.
Check out everything you need to know about monkeypox, including symptoms, how the virus spreads, and what BC residents need to know.