The United Kingdom has identified two people with the monkey pox virus, a mild but mild disease. Cases of this disease are rare outside of Central and West Africa.
According to British health officials, both patients were from the same family, living in North Wales and being treated at a hospital in the UK. The cases are imported, but it is not known in which country the couple was.
A rare tropical disease that causes flu-like symptoms and blisters on the skin, caused by a virus transmitted by monkeys, rats, squirrels and other small mammals.
It can spread from person to person through contact with body fluids, skin lesions or internal mucous surfaces such as mouth or throat, respiratory droplets and contaminants.
Credit: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Wikimedia CommonsThe UK records two cases of monkey pox
Monkey Box
Monkey enlargement is a zoonosis, a disease transmitted from animals to humans. Cases are often found near rainforests, where animals carry the virus.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkey pox continues to occur in countries in Central and West Africa, even though it was eradicated in 1980. It causes symptoms similar to those of smallpox, but less severe.
The first case of monkey pox in humans was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, the disease has accumulated in countries in Central and West Africa. Outside of these regions, it has been identified to date only in the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom.
Diagnosis is made by laboratory tests. Samples can be taken from the rash, skin, fluid or scabs or biopsy if possible.
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