What is Monkeypox or MonkeyPox? Find out the causes and symptoms here!
Causes and Transmission of Monkeypox Virus
Like other types
of smallpox, monkeypox is caused by a viral infection. The monkeypox virus
is transmitted through animals. If you contact animals'
blood and body fluids, you can get this virus that contracts the monkeypox virus. Animals
carrying the virus that causes monkeypox to include rats, monkeys, and
squirrels.
In addition to
contact with body fluids, you can also get this smallpox disease if you eat the
flesh of animals infected with the virus. Consumption of meat is what causes
the emergence of monkeypox disease in Singapore. It is known that a woman from
Nigeria contracted monkeypox from eating the flesh of wild animals affected by the
monkeypox virus in her home country before going to Singapore.
In addition to
transmission of the virus from animals, monkeypox can also be transmitted
between humans. You can contract the monkeypox virus when you touch the
tissues, cloth, or clothing of patients exposed to this virus, such as cloth
used to cover the patient's nose and mouth when sneezing. Even so, the transmission
of the monkeypox virus between humans is a rare case.
Symptoms and Signs of Monkey Pox
When you or
someone nearby is infected with the monkeypox virus, symptoms will begin
to appear after 6 to 16 days after the virus attacks the body. Generally,
symptoms in monkeypox patients are divided into two periods of infection,
namely the invasion period and skin eruption.
In the invasion
period, your body will show signs, such as fever, lymphadenopathy or enlarged
lymph nodes, muscle pain, severe headaches, and a limp body. This period lasts
for one to three days or even more.
After the
invasion period, you will find a rash on the body. The onset of this rash is
included in the period of skin eruption. The rash will first appear on the face
and then spread to all parts of the body. This rash is the main feature of
monkeypox that distinguishes it from other types of smallpox.
The rash on the
skin initially appears as a red spot like regular smallpox. Then this spot will
fill with clear fluid. These fluid-filled spots turn into a kind of pus-filled
bento that then hardens like a crust. The process of changing the rash from red
dots to crust takes about ten days. The rash will disappear entirely in
approximately three weeks.
Although
monkeypox cases in Indonesia have never happened, you still have to be
careful, especially when traveling to countries that have experienced this
case. To prevent monkeypox, there are ways that you and your family can do.
Because the disease is spread through contact with animals, you can avoid close
direct contact with wild animals carrying the virus. In addition, you can also
make sure that the meat of the animal you consume has been cooked to maturity.
That's what you
and your family need to know about monkeypox. If you and your family experience some
symptoms of monkeypox after coming into contact with wild animals, check
with the hospital immediately to get the proper treatment.
