User:Mr. Ibrahem/Mpox

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is an infectious viral disease that can occur in both humans and some other animals. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that forms blisters and than crusts over. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from 5-to-21 days. The duration of symptoms is typically 2 to 4 weeks. There may be mild symptoms, but to what extent it may occur without symptoms is not known. The classic presentation of fever and muscle pains, followed by swollen glands, with lesions all at the same stage, has not been found to be common in all outbreaks. The skin lesions can number from none to many, occur before glands swell, and can appear in one area at different stages of development.

The disease is caused by monkeypox viruses, a type of Orthopoxvirus. Of the 2-types in humans, the West African type causes a less severe disease than the Central African (Congo Basin) type. It may spread from handling bushmeat, animal bites or scratches, body fluids, contaminated objects, or other close contact with an infected person. Spread can occur by small droplets and possibly the airborne route. People can spread the virus from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and fallen off; with some evidence of spread for more than a week after lesions have crusted. The virus is believed to normally spread among certain rodents in Africa. Diagnosis can be confirmed by testing a lesion for the virus's DNA. It can appear similar to chickenpox, measles and smallpox, but may be distinguished by the presence of swollen glands.

There is no known cure. The smallpox vaccine was found to be around 85% protective in preventing infection in close contacts and in lessening the severity of the disease. A newer MVA-BN smallpox vaccine has been approved, but with limited availability. Other measures include regular hand washing and avoiding sick people and other animals. The antiviral medication cidofovir and tecovirimat, vaccinia immune globulin, and the smallpox vaccine may be used during outbreaks. The risk of death has varied from 0% to 11%. Most people recover. The disease is more severe in the very young, malnourished people, pregnant women, and in those with weakened immune systems.

The disease is no longer believed to be as rare as previously thought; possibly as a result of waning immunity since the stopping of routine smallpox vaccination. Cases have significantly increased since the 1980s. Sporadic cases occur in Central and West Africa, and it is common in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Hunters in the tropical forests of Central and West Africa are most at risk. It was first identified as a distinct illness in 1958 among laboratory monkeys in Denmark. The first case in humans was reported in 1970 in the DRC, during smallpox eradication efforts. The first cases in humans outside of Africa presented in the United States in 2003, when the outbreak was traced to a pet store where imported rodents were sold. Since 2017, a large outbreak has been occurring in Nigeria. Since mid-May 2022, cases have been reported with spread between people, in several countries that do not typically see the disease, including countries in Europe, North America, South America and Australasia. On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2022 monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This was withdrawn in May of 2023. Due to stigma associated with the term "monkeypox", the WHO renamed the disease mpox in November 2022.