Jakarta, IO – Not yet done with Covid-19 and mystery acute hepatitis, the world holds its breath again with the emergence of monkeypox. Recent reports showed the disease endemic to Central and West Africa are now appearing in the UK, Portugal, Spain and the US and have caused restlessness among international health officials because the pattern of transmission seems unusual.
“We have a concern that this is very different from what we normally think about monkeypox,” Jennifer McQuiston, an expert on animal-to-human disease transmission at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told STAT on Wednesday (25/5).
Read: Epidemiologist urges Govt to conduct early detection to prevent entry of monkeypox
Before knowing how to avoid monkeypox, Jennifer said everyone should know how monkeypox is transmitted. Once the virus enters human body, it will trigger flu-like symptoms including fever, pain, and fatigue, as well as a red rash that will turn into infectious pus-filled blisters.
When the blisters rupture and crust over, the infection can be spread through direct contact. The scabs are said to be highly contagious, and can even be passed on through blankets or bed linen.