As more cases of monkeypox are reportedly detected in Europe and North America, some scientists who have monitored numerous such outbreaks in Africa say that they are baffled by the unusual spread of the disease in developed countries. It is learnt that in the past week, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, USA, Sweden and Canada have detected the virus mostly in young men who had not travelled to Africa. And this seems to be alarming news for all of us.
Monkeypox typically causes fever, chills and lesions on the face and the genitals. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disease is fatal for about one in ten infected persons. The WHO estimates that there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen of African countries every year. The disease is endemic in Africa. It is such an infection that can be passed from one person to another through close contact or by using clothes used by a person having monkeypox. However the good news is that the infection does not spread easily between people. We, however, need to be vigilant against this virus especially with regard to those travelling from Africa.
Shahjahan Sirazi,
Malibagh, Dhaka,
mshaju001@gmail.com