Please know this about monkeypox!

Recently, Beijing and Guangzhou have successively monitored and discovered cases of monkeypox virus infection.

So, is monkeypox serious? What are the clinical manifestations? What are the sources of infection? How effective is the treatment? Can it heal itself? Let's find out together!

1. Understanding Monkeypox

Monkeypox is a zoonotic viral disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus (MPXV). The main clinical manifestations are fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.

The main source of infection is rodents infected with the monkeypox virus. Primates (including monkeys, chimpanzees, humans, etc.) can also become a source of infection after infection.

2. Transmission routes

The virus enters the human body through mucous membranes and broken skin.

Humans are mainly infected through contact with exudates, blood, or other body fluids of infected animals, or by bites or scratches from infected animals.

The virus is mainly transmitted between people through close contact, but can also be transmitted through droplets, contact with objects contaminated by the virus, and vertical transmission through the placenta. Sexual transmission cannot be ruled out.

3Good prognosis

Monkeypox is a self-limited disease with a generally good prognosis.

Severe cases are common in young children and people with weakened immune systems, and the prognosis is related to the infected viral branch, the degree of viral exposure, previous health status, and the severity of complications.

/Susceptible population/

The general population is susceptible. People who have been vaccinated with smallpox vaccine in the past have a certain degree of cross protection against monkeypox virus.

4 Clinical manifestations

① The incubation period is 5 to 21 days, usually 6 to 13 days.

② Chills and fever occur in the early stage of the disease, with body temperature usually above 38.5℃, accompanied by headache, drowsiness, fatigue, back pain and myalgia. Most patients experience swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, groin and other parts.

③ Rash appears 1 to 3 days after onset. The rash first appears on the face and gradually spreads to the limbs and other parts of the body.

④ The rash changes from macules, papules, herpes, pustules to crusts. Herpes and pustules are mostly spherical, 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter, hard in texture, and may be accompanied by obvious itching and pain.

⑤ It takes 2 to 4 weeks from onset to scab shedding. Some patients may develop complications, including secondary bacterial infection at the site of skin lesions, bronchopneumonia, encephalitis, corneal infection, sepsis, etc.

/ treat /

At present, there is no specific anti-monkeypox virus drug in China, and it is mainly used for symptomatic support and treatment of complications.

5. Symptomatic supportive treatment

① Rest in bed, pay attention to replenishing nutrition and water, and maintain water and electrolyte balance.

② For those with high body temperature, physical cooling is the main approach. If the temperature exceeds 38.5℃, antipyretic and analgesic drugs are used to reduce fever, but care should be taken to prevent excessive sweating from causing collapse.

③ Keep the skin, mouth, eyes and nose clean and moist, and avoid scratching the skin at the rash site to prevent secondary infection. If the rash site is severely painful, analgesics can be given.

6. Treatment of complications

① In case of secondary skin bacterial infection, effective antimicrobial drugs should be given for treatment, and the dosage should be adjusted according to the culture, isolation, identification and drug sensitivity results of the pathogen. Prophylactic use of antimicrobial drugs is not recommended.

② When corneal lesions occur, eye drops can be used, supplemented with vitamin A and other treatments. When encephalitis occurs, sedation, dehydration to reduce intracranial pressure, and airway protection are given.

Source: "Monkeypox Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines (2022 Edition)"