Health officials in Washington, D.C. of the United States recently found a case that can be Monkeypox. This comes at a time when the entire country is on high alert for monkeypox. According to a statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, 1000 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in 29 countries that are not endemic to the monkeypox virus. Meanwhile, epidemiological investigations are underway.
On Sunday, DC Health shared in a press release that the DC Public Health Lab “confirmed the first positive Orthopoxvirus case in a District resident who reported recent travel to Europe.” Moreover, samples from the patient have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more testing and confirmation to see if this could be monkeypox, the release states, before noting that “monkeypox is in the orthopox family of viruses.”
What is orthopox?
According to experts, Orthopox is a family of viruses and it contains viruses such as smallpox, horsepox, cowpox, camelpox, and many other -pox viruses of animals.
“Monkeypox is actually caused by a virus which belongs to a family of viruses called Orthopoxviruses. These viruses are brick shaped viruses, and other viruses which belong to this family include the smallpox virus along with the virus which is used to make the vaccine against smallpox,” Dr. Umang Agarwal, Infectious Diseases Consultant, PD Hinduja Hospital & MRC told Financial Express.com.
Experts reveal that these viruses are closely related to each other with regard to antigens, however, they have their own respective “personalities”.
What are the symptoms of orthopox?
According to doctors and health experts, each orthopoxvirus has slightly different symptoms. However, there are certain signs that are common among all the orthopoxvirus. They include:
Fever
Headache
Muscle aches
Chills
Fatigue
Moreover, developing a rash within a few days of contracting the virus is also common among all the orthopoxvirus.
Treatment against orthopoxviruses
According to experts, although specific treatment varies for every orthopoxvirus they can be treated with an anti-viral known as tecovirimat. Reportedly, some health departments have started using Jynneos, a common vaccine that is given in two doses about four weeks apart, to prevent monkeypox.
‘Monkeypox is most serious Orthopox at present’
At present, Monkeypox is the most pressing orthopoxvirus but experts believe that it does not pose a general threat to the public and it also does not possess pandemic potential. However, there is an urgent need to contain this ongoing outbreak.
“The sudden and unexpected appearance of monkeypox simultaneously in several non-endemic countries suggests that there might have been undetected transmission for some unknown duration of time followed by recent amplifier events,” WHO stated.
According to the global health agency, as of 2 June 2022, there have been no deaths associated with the current monkeypox outbreak in non-endemic countries. However, cases and deaths continue to be reported from endemic countries, the WHO stated.
