And recorded infections with the virus, which is usually found in Central and West Africa throughout Europe and the United States, infecting even people who have not traveled to Africa or have no clear links with travelers to the continent.
And the NPR website quoted Dr. Rosamund Lewis, head of the Smallpox Secretariat at the World Health Organization, as saying that “monkeypox and corona are two different diseases.” Monkeypox spreads much more difficult than COVID-19.
Scientists have been studying monkeypox since it was first discovered in humans more than 50 years ago, and the similarities between it and smallpox mean that it can be combated in many ways similar to the way smallpox is fought.
As a result, scientists are already familiar with how monkeypox spreads, how to present it, and how to treat and contain it, giving health authorities a better position than they were surprised by the emergence of Covid and its spread so quickly.
Monkeypox usually requires very close contact to spread — often skin-to-skin contact, or prolonged physical contact with clothing or bedding that an infected person has used.
By contrast, COVID-19 spreads quickly and easily, and the virus can spread simply by talking to another person, sharing a room, or in rare cases, even being in a room where the infected person was previously.
The classic symptom of monkeypox is a rash that often begins on the face, then spreads to a person’s extremities or other parts of the body.
“The incubation time from exposure to the virus to the appearance of ulcers ranges from five days to about 21 days, so it can be very long,” the website quoted Dr.
Experts say that the current outbreak has seen some different patterns, especially that the rash starts in the genital area first, and may not spread throughout the body.
“It’s not a disease you catch if you pass someone in the grocery store,” Dr. Jennifer McQuston of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at a news conference on Monday.
She said those most at risk are close contacts of an infected person, such as family members or health care workers who may have treated them.
“We’ve seen over the years that often the best way to handle cases is to keep patients isolated so they can’t spread the virus to close family members and loved ones, and to follow up proactively with those the patient comes into contact with so they can monitor symptoms,” McCuston said.
With this virus, people generally recover within two to four weeks, scientists have found, and the death rate from it is less than 1%.
Public health authorities, including the World Health Organization, seem confident that monkeypox cases will not suddenly rise.
Because monkeypox is closely related to smallpox, there are already vaccines, and smallpox, which used to kill millions of people every year, was eradicated in 1980 through a successful global campaign of vaccines.
The World Health Organization says the smallpox vaccine is about 85% effective against monkeypox, although this effectiveness wanes over time.
Some countries, including the United States, are keeping smallpox vaccines in strategic reserve in case the virus resurfaces.
The FDA has two vaccines already approved for use against smallpox.
One, a two-dose vaccine called Gennius, is also approved for use against monkeypox.