Introduction
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that is similar to smallpox, but much less severe. It is caused by the monkeypox virus and is spread through contact with infected animals or humans. Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, and a rash that can spread over the body. While monkeypox is not common in the United States, it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the virus so that you can seek medical attention if necessary. In this article, we will discuss how to tell if you have monkeypox and what to do if you think you may have it. We will also provide tips on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
Think You Have Monkeypox? Here’s How to Tell For Sure
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that is similar to smallpox. It is caused by the monkeypox virus and is spread through contact with an infected animal or person. Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that develops into raised bumps filled with fluid. If you think you may have monkeypox, it is important to seek medical attention right away.
How to Tell For Sure if You Have Monkeypox
The only way to know for sure if you have monkeypox is to get tested. Your doctor will take a sample of fluid from one of the bumps on your skin and send it to a laboratory for testing. The results of the test will tell your doctor if you have monkeypox or another condition.
Eat This, Not That to Help Prevent Monkeypox
The best way to prevent monkeypox is to avoid contact with animals that may be infected. If you must come into contact with an animal, make sure to wear protective clothing and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Eating a healthy diet can also help to boost your immune system and make it more difficult for the virus to take hold. Foods that are rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as zinc, can help to strengthen your immune system. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains are all good sources of these vitamins and minerals.
On the other hand, it is important to avoid foods that can weaken your immune system. These include processed foods, sugary snacks, and foods that are high in saturated fat. Eating these foods can make it easier for the virus to take hold and cause an infection.
Conclusion
If you think you may have monkeypox, it is important to seek medical attention right away. The only way to know for sure if you have monkeypox is to get tested. Eating a healthy diet and avoiding foods that can weaken your immune system can help to prevent monkeypox. If you must come into contact with an animal, make sure to wear protective clothing and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
Are we on the brink of yet another virus? With monkeypox spreading across Africa, Europe, and now the US, experts are recommending caution but not panic. “This is a virus we understand: we have vaccines against it, we have treatments against it, and it’s spread very differently than SARS-Cov-2 — it’s not as contagious as COVID — so I am confident we’re going to be able to keep our arms around it,” says White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. Here is how to tell if you have monkeypox, according to experts. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Much like the COVID-19 virus, this monkeypox outbreak has been around for longer than we realized, experts say. “Clearly, this has been circulating in non-endemic countries for a few months. We don’t know exactly how this began,” says Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the emerging diseases and zoonoses unit in the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program. “There’s a lot of work around the genetic sequencing. But as we look to explaining this to a much broader audience, we’re recognizing how little we know about this particular virus. And given that the entire world wants answers to questions immediately … we want to make sure that we’re giving the most appropriate answers to everyone, but then also making sure that we are targeting those who are most at risk, to make sure that they have the right information.”
All the evidence so far points to monkeypox being spread primarily through what Van Kerkhove calls “sexual networks”. “Our surveillance is biased so far towards MSM communities. We’ve been working with countries to expand that and several countries have expanded surveillance to emergency departments, and ID clinics, to dermatology clinics. But they’re not finding additional cases so far outside of the MSM community,” Van Kerkhove says. “There have been a couple of health worker infections, but they were men who have sex with men. Based on the discussions that have been had with these cases, it’s far more likely that it’s MSM-related transmission than as a result of their occupation.”
Older people are more likely to get severely ill from monkeypox, but the smallpox vaccine may provide some protection. “The bottom line is that even those that were vaccinated many decades before maintain a very, very high level of antibodies and the ability to neutralize the virus,” says Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the National Institute on Aging. “Even if they were vaccinated 50 years ago, that protection should still be there.”
So, how do you know if you have monkeypox? Here is what the CDC says to look out for: “After infection, there is an incubation period which lasts on average 7-14 days. The development of initial symptoms (e.g., fever, malaise, headache, weakness, etc.) marks the beginning of the prodromal period. A feature that distinguishes infection with monkeypox from that of smallpox is the development of swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy). Swelling of the lymph nodes may be generalized (involving many different locations on the body) or localized to several areas (e.g., neck and armpit). Shortly after the prodrome, a rash appears. Lesions typically begin to develop simultaneously and evolve together on any given part of the body. The evolution of lesions progresses through four stages—macular, papular, vesicular, to pustular—before scabbing over and resolving. This process happens over a period of 2-3 weeks.”
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, seek the advice of your healthcare provider immediately.
“Any patient with suspected monkeypox should be investigated and if confirmed, isolated until their lesions have crusted, the scab has fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath,” advises the World Health Organization. “Isolation can occur either in a health care facility or at home, provided the infected individual can be isolated and cared for appropriately. All efforts should be made to avoid unnecessary stigmatization of individuals and communities potentially affected by monkeypox.”
Follow the public health fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated or boosted ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.
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