Table of contents:
- Symptoms of monkey pox
- Invasion period
- Period of skin eruptions
- Distinguishing monkey pox from chicken pox
- When to see a doctor?
- Avoid the symptoms of monkey pox by being aware of the spread
Monkey pox is a viral infectious disease originating from a star (zoonosis). The case of monkey pox in humans was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2005. Until now, there are no cases of monkey pox in Indonesia. However, you still need to be aware of the transmission of this disease and identify what the characteristics of monkey pox are.
Symptoms of monkey pox
The incubation period for monkey pox or the distance between the first infection and the onset of symptoms ranges from 6-13 days. However, it can also occur in a longer range, namely 5-21 days.
However, as long as there are no symptoms, an infected person can still transmit the monkey pox virus to others.
The initial symptoms of this disease are the same as those of other smallpox caused by a viral infection, which causes flu-like symptoms.
Reporting from the World Health Organization (WHO), the appearance of monkey pox symptoms is divided into two periods of infection, namely the invasion period and the skin eruption period. Here's the explanation:
Invasion period
The invasion period occurs within 0-5 days after first infection with the virus. When a person is in the invasion period, he will show several symptoms, such as:
- fever
- severe headache
- lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes)
- back pain
- muscle ache
- severe weakness (asthenia)
As previously explained, swollen lymph nodes are the main feature of monkey pox. This symptom is what distinguishes monkey pox from other types of smallpox.
In severe cases, the infected person may experience other health problems early in the infection.
Such is the case examined in the study Clinical Manifestations of Human Monkeypox Influenced by Route of Infection. K a group of patients who were exposed to the virus through the mouth or respiratory tract showed respiratory problems such as coughing, sore throat, and runny nose.
Meanwhile, patients who were directly bitten by infected animals also experienced nausea and vomiting in addition to fever.
Period of skin eruptions
This period occurs 1-3 days after the fever appears. This phase is characterized by the appearance of the main symptom of the disease, namely, a skin rash. The skin eruption period lasts 14-21 days.
A rash of red spots like chickenpox first appears on the face and then spreads over the body. The face and palms and feet are the areas most affected by these spots.
Symptoms of monkey pox can also be found on mucous membranes located in the throat, genital area, including eye and corneal tissue. The number of smallpox rashes that appear varies, but ranges from tens to hundreds of rashes. In severe cases, the rash can get into the skin until part of the surface of the skin is damaged.
The red spots within a few days turn into vesicles or bouncy, which are skin blisters filled with fluid.
Just like the development of other smallpox diseases, the elastic will then turn dry into pustules and crust to form a scab. The diameter of the warp can vary from 2-5 mm as the warp turns into pustules.
The symptoms of the chickenpox rash last for 10 days until the rash dries up. It may take a few days for all the scabs on the skin to peel off on their own.
Distinguishing monkey pox from chicken pox
Like chickenpox, monkey pox is a disease self-limiting disease. This means, monkey pox can heal by itself without special treatment but still depends on the immune condition of each person.
However, monkey pox is not the same as chicken pox. The viruses that cause these two diseases are completely different.
The virus that causes monkey pox comes from the genus Orthopoxvirus. that is, the same family of viruses as the viruses that cause chickenpox. These two viruses are related to the virus that causes smallpox (smallpox), a disease that was declared extinct by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1980.
The characteristics of monkey pox with chickenpox are also different, as described above. Compared to the symptoms of chickenpox, the symptoms of monkey pox tend to be more severe.
One of the characteristics that most distinguishes monkey pox from other types of smallpox is the swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin.
When to see a doctor?
Complicated diseases that are at risk are also not known with certainty. However, in severe symptoms, monkey pox can require the sufferer to be treated intensively in the hospital.
Monkey pox is more likely to cause death than other smallpox diseases, especially for children. Of the cases that took place in Africa, 10 percent of people died from monkey pox.
You need to see a doctor immediately if you experience the symptoms that have been mentioned. Treatment from a doctor can help shorten the infection period of the disease so that it speeds up healing. Moreover, the symptoms of monkey pox are quite severe so they can be annoying and uncomfortable.
Likewise, when you have just traveled to an area with this disease outbreak. Until now, there is no vaccine or specific treatment for monkey pox. Smallpox vaccine (smallpox) can indeed prevent, but it is difficult to obtain because the disease has been declared extinct.
So, you need to be alert and ready to get checked out if you experience things that are at risk of being infected with monkey pox.
Avoid the symptoms of monkey pox by being aware of the spread
The transmission of monkey pox initially occurs from direct and indirect contact between humans and infected wild animals. Even though it is called monkey pox, the term this disease is actually inaccurate because the transmission of this virus is carried out by rodents, namely mice and squirrels.
The mechanism of transmission of this virus to humans is not yet known with certainty. It is suspected that the transmission media can be in the form of open wounds or mucous membranes and body fluids produced by the respiratory organs of an infected person.
Of the cases, monkey pox transmission occurs through droplets or saliva splashed from the mouth. This transmission process takes place when a sick person coughs, sneezes, or talks and releases saliva that is inhaled by the healthy people around him.
