TRENTO. There are currently two cases of monkeypox in Trentino. The primary of the Department of Infectious Diseases of S. Chiara in Trentodoctor Massimiliano Lanzafame. Monkeypox is a disease that generally presents with “fever, myalgia, lymphadenopathy (swollen glands) and a rash on the hands and face, similar to chickenpox”.
Monkeypox is a sylvan zoonosis – a disease affecting wild animals – with accidental human infections, usually occurring in wooded parts of central and western Africa. Here’s what we know (source: Higher Institute of Health).
Monkey pox, origin, symptoms and treatments: here’s what we know
HOW IT GETS INFECTED
The disease often ends with symptoms that usually resolve spontaneously within 14-21 days, is not very contagious among humans and is transmitted through exposure to exhaled droplets and contact with infected skin lesions or contaminated materials. including fever, headache, muscle aches and rashes) can be mild or severe and the lesions can be very itchy or painful, as explained by WHO, with several reported cases in Europe and the United States.
HOW LONG DOES THE INCUBATION PERIOD LAST?
The incubation period for monkeypox is generally between 6 and 13 days, but can range from 5 to 21 days. The animal’s reservoir remains unknown, although it is likely to be among the rodents. Contact with live and dead animals through hunting and the consumption of game or shrub meat are known risk factors.
There are two families of monkeypox viruses: that of West Africa and that of the Congo Basin (Central Africa). Although West African monkeypox virus infection sometimes leads to severe illness in some individuals, the disease is usually self-limiting.
THE MORTALITY RATE
It has been documented that the death rate for the West African family is around 1%, while for that of the Congo Basin it can be as high as 10%. Babies are also at risk, and monkeypox during pregnancy can lead to complications, congenital monkeypox or stillbirth. Milder cases of monkeypox can go unnoticed and pose a risk of person-to-person transmission.
There is likely to be little immunity to infection in those traveling or otherwise exposed, as endemic disease is normally geographically limited to parts of West and Central Africa.
THE VACCINE
Although a vaccine (MVA-BN) and a specific treatment (tecovirimat) were approved for monkeypox in 2019 and 2022 respectively, these countermeasures, WHO warns, are not yet widely available and populations across the country. world under the age of 40 or 50 no longer benefit from the protection afforded by previous smallpox vaccination programs.