Monkey pox was discovered in monkeys in 1958, and the first time it was discovered that the virus infected a human was in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
About monkey pox
Monkey pox is related to the eradicated disease smallpox, but is less dangerous.
– It is important to realize that what we are seeing now is something completely different than the covid-19 outbreak. It is a contagious disease, but not very contagious. It is a well-known virus that we have an effective vaccine against, and an effective antiviral medicine against already now, says Ulrika Björkstén, science commentator at Swedish Radio.
The monkey virus is most often transmitted from animal to human, often through a bite from the animal, a tear or contact with the animal’s body fluid. Monkey pox can also be transmitted by close contact between people.
Symptoms of monkey pox
Among other things, fever, swollen lymph nodes and blisters on the skin.
Are monkey pox deadly?
As a rule, smallpox gives mild symptoms, but there are cases where the viral infection has been fatal. Affected people usually recover within a few weeks.
With sound from: P4 Stockholm, TV4 Nyheterna
Participants: Ulrika BjörksténSwedish Radio’s science commentator
Reporter: Susanna Hållbus
Host: Marcus Nilsson
Producer: Julia Juhlin Karlsson
Technician: Josef Reinhold and Jesper Timan
Source: ICELAND NEWS