Smallpox is spreading rapidly in Europe, and the first case in the UAE has been identified. This virus is not new and has been endemic for decades in some parts of Africa, especially in the Congo. However, many do not know what the symptoms of smallpox may be. A total of 15 of them, said British doctors.
In the UK, where 78 infections were detected in May, researchers this week published an article detailing the infection of seven people in the UK between 2018 and 2021. All patients were under medical supervision in hospitals, where they remained for 10 to 39 days.
Patients reported early symptoms of fever, night sweats, cold symptoms, and swelling of the lymph nodes and groin. Then, one or four days later, they developed a rash characteristic of monkeypox. But some patients did not have early signs and immediately developed a rash, according to an article published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The rash was recorded on the face and torso, arms, and legs of each patient. In five out of seven, there was a rash around the genitals. These reports, together with a list of symptoms compiled by the UK Health Insurance Agency (UKHSA), help to give an idea of how monkeypox manifests itself.
List the symptoms:
- Fever
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Back pain
- Chills
- Exhaustion
- Night sweats
- Nasal congestion
- Undead
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Odor swelling
- Rash on the face, head, back, limbs, palms (sometimes in the nail plates), soles of the feet, and genitals.
- Bad mood
- Severe pain
- Conjunctivitis
Meanwhile, veterinarian Kurt Zaeske, who became infected back in 2003, spoke about his illness. In an interview with NBC, he said he suffered from “flu symptoms”, including fever, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and headaches. He then began to develop small spots on his body, including “one significant blister that developed on his thumb and became quite painful.”
“My biggest fear was that I would lose my thumb and not be able to practice anymore,” he recalled.
Dr. Zaeske contracted an infection from a dog that was probably infected by a rodent. The man was part of the first and largest outbreak of monkeypox outside Africa when more than 70 cases of infected dogs were detected in the United States.
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But the current outbreak is likely to break the previous record for morbidity. According to the European Union Agency for Diseases on May 27, the number of confirmed cases of monkeypox worldwide reached 242 outside the countries where it is endemic.
More than a dozen countries where the infection is considered foreign, mostly in Europe, have reported at least one confirmed case, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Wednesday. According to him, most cases were found in young gay men. British doctors claim that monkeypox is spread through close physical contact, including sex.
The health agency said many patients had been diagnosed after going to a sexual health clinic with complaints of a rash. It was stated that men who had several sexual partners, regardless of sexual orientation, are at greater risk.
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In a short time, the disease spread to other unusual countries: 12 EU countries, Switzerland, USA, Canada, Argentina, Morocco, Israel, UAE, and Australia. Belgium and Germany have introduced a mandatory three-week quarantine for people with monkeypox.