Mpox (Monkeypox)

04.05.2024

Mpox (Monkeypox)

Why in the news?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

            The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recently declared the Mpox (formerly known as Monkey pox) outbreak across the country a health emergency.

About the Monkey pox Virus:

• It is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the Mpox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, this includes the variola virus (which causes smallpox) and vaccinia virus (which was used in the smallpox vaccine).
• This virus causes symptoms similar to smallpox, although they are less severe. While vaccination eradicated smallpox worldwide in 1980, monkeypox continues to occur in a swathe of countries in Central and West Africa.
• The infection was first discovered in 1958 following two outbreaks of a pox-like disease in colonies of monkeys kept for research which led to the name ‘monkeypox’.
•  The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the DRC during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.
• It is a zoonosis, that is a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans (Human-to-human transmission is limited).
• According to the WHO, cases occur close to tropical rainforests inhabited by animals that carry the virus.
• This virus infection has been detected in squirrels, Gambian poached rats, dormice, and some species of monkeys.

Monkey pox Virus Symptoms and Treatment:

• It begins with a fever, headache, muscle aches, back ache, and exhaustion.
• It also causes the lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy), which smallpox does not.
•  Usually within a day to 3 days of the onset of fever, the patient develops a rash that begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. There is no safe, proven treatment for monkey pox yet.

Consider the following statements regarding the Monkeypox Virus:

1.It is a viral zoonotic disease caused by the Mpox virus.

2.It also causes the liver to swell.

3.It is a zoonosis, that is a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to animals only.

How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C.All three

D.None

Answer A

                                                           Source: Indian Express