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WHO declares Monkeypox a global Public Health Emergency

First time in history when WHO has declared two pandemic Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC)

Global Prevalence

Presently in 76 countries in the span of 78 days since May 6, 2022 when the first case outside of endemic regions in Africa was reported in the UK

Growth

As of today, 16,593 cases are reported from countries where Monkeypox is not endemic. Given the limited test availability, the lack of awareness of symptoms and the asymptomatic transmission, likely the current case count is closer to 100,000. At the present rate of growth, confirmed cases will exceed 25,000 by end of July, 200,000 by end of August and 2 million by end of September.

Demographics

Presently 98% of Monkeypox cases are among Men having sex with Men (MSM) who constitute 2% of the population. However, about 1.5% of the cases are among women and 0.5% of the cases are pediatric. 1/3 of the pediatric cases (23) are under age 4, meaning there is no demographic that is not impacted. Of the 2891 cases reported in the the US, 3 are pediatric cases including a toddler in California.

Symptoms

Symptoms of monkeypox can include:

Fever
Headache
Muscle aches and backache
Swollen lymph nodes
Chills
Exhaustion
A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after infection.

Further medical information in the CDC FAQ: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/faq.html

Precautions

People should take the following steps to prevent getting monkeypox:

Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
Do not touch the rash or scabs of person with monkeypox.
Do not kiss, hug, cuddle or have sex with someone with monkeypox.
Do not share eating utensils or cups with a person with monkeypox.
Do not handle or touch the bedding, towels, or clothing of a person with monkeypox.
Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Wear a N95 mask when mingling outside your household since Monkeypox has been shown to spread by respiratory aerosols and droplets

If you are sick with monkeypox