Cases of monkeypox – a rare, little-known disease – are being investigated in European countries including the UK, the US, Canada and Australia.
In the UK there have been 57 confirmed cases in recent weeks. Infections are usually mild, but the UK government has bought stocks of smallpox vaccine to guard against monkeypox.
Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low.
It occurs mostly in remote parts of central and west African countries, near tropical rainforests.
Two of the infected patients in the UK traveled from Nigeria, so it is likely that they are suffering from the West African strain, which is generally mild.
Another case was a healthcare worker who picked up the virus from one of the patients.
More recent cases do not have any known links with each other, or any history of travel.
It appears they caught it in the UK from spread in the community.
I – Word Understanding
Smallpox vs Monkeypox
Smallpox – a contagious, disfiguring and often deadly disease that has affected humans for thousands of years. Naturally occurring smallpox was wiped out worldwide by 1980 — the result of an unprecedented global immunization campaign.
Monkeypox – Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus. Most cases of monkeypox occur in central and western Africa.
II – Have Your Say
1, Share your knowledge about monkeypox:
a, What are the symptoms?
b, How is it transmitted?
c, How dangerous is it?
2, Experts say we are not on the brink of a national outbreak and, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the risk is low. Are you worried about monkeypox reaching your country? What do you expect the government would do to keep monkeypox at bay?
