Draft:Monkeypox

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Visual Examples of the Monkeypox Rash

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Monkeypox is a smallpox-like infectious disease caused by a variation of the orthopoxvirus virus, a member of the Poxviridae family, and characterized by high fever and aches with subsequent widespread eruption of pimples that blister, pustulate, scab over, and leave scar tissue behind. It is generally transmitted through close contact with an infected individual or animal or with materials that they have been in contact with.

Monkeypox was discovered in a batch of research monkeys in 1958, but in the 1970s a human case was identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it a zoonotic disease. The natural reservoir is still not known, but it is not believed to be monkeys, despite the name. It gained international notability after a number of Western individuals were infected in 2022, together with the World Health Organization classifying the outbreak as an evolving health threat. As of September 21 there are a reported 64 208 cases in over 100 countries with a notable number of cases in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Luckily, the Jynneos/Imvanex smallpox vaccine is at least 85% successful in preventing monkeypox infection, but it is no longer widely produced. New York City has already said that demand has over run supply, and many doctors have difficulty in organising the paperwork to get the vaccine from the CDC's Strategic National Stockpile.

2022 outbreak

Due to fact that it originated in central Africa, the recent outbreak which has primarily been spread through close physical contact including sexual activity with the majority of cases being among men who have sex with men, giving the impression that it is a 21st century version of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Major notable outbreaks have occurred including one at the Belgian fetish festival Darklands and a number of gay pride events. A number of homophobic Republicans including Marjorie Taylor Greene have claimed that only gay people can get monkeypox, despite the evidence. While others like the New York Post have denied that such a pandemic exists, and is all overblown.

Due to the current stigma regarding monkeypox, there has been cases of individuals not revealing that they have been infected despite the dangers of non-identification.

Many AIDS charities such as the Terrence Higgins Trust have requested that vaccines should be made widely available and that more should be done imminently to prevent the virus from spreading further.

Herbal remedies and woo

The plant sarracenia purpurea, or common pitcher plant, is thought to have been used by the Micmac native Americans in the 19th century as a treatment for smallpox, and has been found to have an effect on the virus in vitro. Naturally, its extract is already available as a homeopathic supplement advertised as effective against monkeypox for the low, low price of £50 a bottle.

External links

• CDC - Monkeypox
• gov.uk - Guidance: Monkeypox
• HSE Ireland - Monkeypox
• Terrence Higgins Trust - Monkeypox in the UK