COVID-19 has sensitized our communities to communicable illnesses that spread from person to person. These infections come from a variety of sources including viruses, bacteria, and so on. We’ve seen illnesses like this — examples including influenza, SARS, MERS, Ebola and Zika.
Monkeypox is another such illness that has gathered recent attention.
Monkeypox is caused by a virus, the same class of viruses that can also cause illnesses like smallpox. Smallpox was a viral illness that caused death in 3 out of 10 people. It was eradicated through a worldwide effort to vaccinate and no natural cases have occurred since 1949. This is an extraordinary testament to vaccines and to the impact of international communities working together to protect one another.
Monkeypox is not a new illness. The first human case was recorded in Africa in 1970. In the last month, cases have been reported in countries such as Canada, Australia, Europe, and the US.
By and large, monkey pox is a mild illness that lasts about 2-4 weeks, although some people do suffer severe illness resulting in hospitalization. There is treatment available for hospitalized patients, although much of it is supportive care.
Symptoms include a rash, fever, swollen lymph nodes headache, muscle pain, back pain and profound weakness. The rash begins on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, going through stages from small solid bumps to fluid-filled bumps that then scab off. It spreads between people through close contact with infectious sores and scabs, which can be present in many different locations of the body.
There are many illnesses that can present with some of these symptoms — chicken pox, measles, bacterial skin infections, herpes, common childhood rashes like molluscum, and even allergic reactions to some plants. Seeing a primary care provider for these symptoms would allow them to determine which tests are needed to rule out other causes.
The other reason it’s important to see your primary care provider is that you may meet the criteria for post-exposure vaccination, which has been shown to reduce the severity of the illness.