Monkey pox, a potentially deadly disease responsible for the alarming rise in cases in North America and Europe over the past three weeks, is spreading mainly through sex between men, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease is spread through close contact with infected people, animals or materials that are contaminated with the virus. It enters the body through cleft skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth, according to the CDC.
The virus is not considered a sexually transmitted infection, or spread through semen and vaginal fluids, WHO officials noted. However, anyone who is in close contact with a person who has the virus is considered at high risk of infection.
"Many diseases can be spread through sexual contact. "You can get a cough or a cold through sexual contact, but that does not mean it is a sexually transmitted disease," Andy Seale, WHO's adviser on HIV, hepatitis and other sexually transmitted infections, told CNBC.
In response to the growing number of cases of monkey pox worldwide, Bavarian Nordic, a Danish vaccine manufacturer, is increasing production of its smallpox vaccine to help governments fight the growing outbreak, according to a Wall Street report. Journal.
As of May 21, 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of smallpox have been reported to the WHO from 12 countries, including the US, Australia, Germany and Spain.
In the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials told Fortune last week that health officials were monitoring six people for suspected cases of monkey pox, all of whom sat next to one person on a May 3-4 flight. from Nigeria to London, which eventually developed the virus.
Monkey pox is a rare disease associated with measles and mumps that causes fever, muscle aches and lesions. The incubation period, or time between exposure and the onset of symptoms, is usually a week or two, but can range from five to 21 days, according to the CDC.
In Africa, where the disease is commonly found, monkey pox has been found to be deadly in about 10% of infected people, the CDC notes. The illness usually lasts anywhere from two to four weeks.
Source: Fortune
