By Ifeanyi Nsofor —
The World Health Organization recently declared monkeypox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This declaration should spur international collaborations and actions to respond to this current global outbreak of monkeypox, which has more than 25,000 cases across 83 countries (76 that not historically reported monkeypox), with several deaths reported.
Monkeypox is usually a self-limiting disease, with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with rashes, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, tiredness, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, and rashes. The rashes resemble pimples and appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals. Rashes may be located on or near the penis, testicles, labia, vagina and anus. Monkeypox symptoms mimic other infectious diseases such as malaria. This is a major reason there should be a high index of suspicion for monkeypox. When in doubt, please contact your healthcare provider.
This op-Ed was originally posted on Medium on August 3, 2022.