What are the new symptoms of monkeypox virus?
The British Medical Journal last week pointed out though virus has been known since 1958 (the first case in humans came to the fore in 1970), some observation suggests a “new clinical course to the disease", i.e. new symptoms.
Rectal pain and penile oedema (painless, non-tender swelling of the penis) were among the new clinical presentations identified.
“A variable temporal association was observed between mucocutaneous and systemic features, suggesting a new clinical course to the disease. New clinical presentations of monkeypox infection were identified, including rectal pain and penile oedema. These presentations should be included in public health messaging to aid early diagnosis and reduce onward transmission," said the researchers in their conclusion.
The study was conducted among 197 participants, and 196 of them were gay men or those having sex with men.
Usually, the symptoms for contracting the monkeypox virus include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes - which typically last between two-four weeks.
Is monkeypox really a sexually transmitted disease?
As per WHO, the monkeypox disease is “transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus". Though it is not declared a sexually transmitted disease, most case have been reported among men who have sex with men. And noting the same, WHO chief earlier this week said, "For men who have sex with men, this includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering sex with new partners, and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow-up if needed."
Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus: WHO chief
WHO chief further pointed out that at this stage it is extremely crucial to eliminate all discrimination.
"The focus for all countries must be engaging and empowering communities of men who have sex with men to reduce the risk of monkeypox infection and onward transmission, to provide care for those infected, and to safeguard human rights and dignity," he also added.
“Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus, and can fuel the outbreak," WHO chief said adding, “"As we have seen with COVID19, misinformation and disinformation can spread rapidly online, so we call on social media platforms and tech companies and news organizations to work with us to prevent and counter harmful information."
