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In terms of looming health concerns, it's not a stretch to say COVID-19 has largely dominated the public's attention for the past two years. And while the virus remains a serious issue, it also hasn't stopped other potential health crises from developing. This includes the recent outbreak of monkeypox that has caught the attention of health officials in some countries. But what is this virus, and what kind of threat does it pose? Read on to find out more about monkeypox, including its telltale signs and the symptoms it causes.

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The virus that causes monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when an outbreak occurred within a colony of research monkeys, giving it its name, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a close relative to the now eradicated smallpox virus, it's believed that widespread vaccination helped curb human cases for decades, according to an article written by researchers in 2005. However, the scientists also posited that waning immunity in the population brought about a resurgence in human cases. The disease has since been reported in several central and West African countries, per the CDC.

The most recent outbreak began when a case was reported in the U.K. on May 7 in a person who had just returned from a trip to Nigeria. Since then, there have been 68 reported cases that have spread across Portugal, Spain, and Canada. Most recently, a case was confirmed in the U.S. in a patient in Massachusetts after he returned from a trip to Canada, the BBC reports.

Typically, monkeypox spreads to people through a bite, scratch, or close contact with an infected animal, NPR reports. But while monkeypox can spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person—especially through contaminated clothing or bedding—the CDC writes that "human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets" which "generally cannot travel more than a few feet, so prolonged face-to-face contact is required."

Fortunately, unlike COVID-19, the transmission of the virus from person to person is relatively uncommon, according to the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA). But Susan Hopkins, MD, the agency's chief medical adviser, called the recent outbreak "rare and unusual," adding that it was "rapidly investigating the source of these infections because the evidence suggests that there may be transmission of the monkeypox virus in the community, spread by close contact."

Specifically, the agency appears to be looking into whether a previously unknown form of transmission is possible. "What is even more bizarre is finding cases that appear to have acquired the infection via sexual contact," Mateo Prochazka, an epidemiologist at the UKHSA, tweeted, per NPR. "This is a novel route of transmission that will have implications for outbreak response and control."

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According to the CDC, there are a few signs that someone has become infected with monkeypox. The agency says that the virus causes symptoms similar to smallpox that are milder in comparison, typically beginning with fever, headache, muscle aches, backaches, chills, and exhaustion. One notable difference is that monkeypox also causes swelling in the lymph nodes while smallpox does not. The agency also notes that the incubation period from infection to the first signs of sickness usually ranges from seven to 14 days but can be as long as five to 21 days.

One to three days after the onset of initial symptoms, infected people will begin to develop a rash with lesions that often start on the face before spreading to other parts of the body. Typically, the pustules will burst and scab over before falling off. The virus normally runs its course anywhere from two to four weeks for most patients, according to the CDC.

Even though most patients recover from monkeypox, the virus can still be deadly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two major strains of the virus naiiba sa mga kinalabasan ng pasyente: ang mas malubhang pilay ng Congo basin, na nakamamatay sa isa sa sampung tao na nahahawa, at isang mas banayad na pilay ng West Africa, na pumapatay sa isa sa 100 mga pasyente, bawatAng Washington Post.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Sa kabutihang palad, iniulat ng UKHSA na ang pitong iniulat na mga kaso sa U.K. hanggang ngayon ay lumilitaw na sanhi ng mas banayad na bersyon ng virus. At ayon sa mga opisyal ng kalusugan sa Massachusetts, "ang kaso ay nag -poseWalang panganib sa publiko, at ang indibidwal ay naospital at nasa mabuting kalagayan. "

Habang ang mga eksperto ay mayroon pa ring mga katanungan sa mga potensyal na bagong anyo ng paghahatid, ang karamihan ay nananatiling maingat na maasahin sa mabuti na ang kamakailang pagtaas ng mga kaso ay malamang ay hindi poseIsang malubhang banta sa kalusugan. "Sa palagay ko ang panganib sa pangkalahatang publiko sa puntong ito, mula sa impormasyong mayroon tayo, ay napakababa,"Tom Inglesby, MD, Direktor ng Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, sinabiAng post.

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