A Sequel to the COVID-19 Pandemic or an Overreaction?
Our last pandemic caused a massive loss of life and brought us months of social distancing, with countless mental, economic, and physical issues. But over the past few months, an illness known as Monkeypox has been gaining media attention as a potential next act of COVID-19.
Unlike COVID-19, Monkeypox is not a new virus, and it did not spontaneously appear or become prevalent over a few weeks. It was discovered in Denmark in 1958 in monkeys used for research. The first case of Monkeypox in humans was found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. Monkeypox later emerged in African countries such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Monkeypox gained mainstream media attention after an outbreak in Europe in May 2022 (1).
Monkeypox is a sibling to smallpox, a prominent virus eradicated in the 1980s (1). The symptoms of Monkeypox are fever, rashes, swollen lymph nodes, chills, headaches, muscle aches, and fatigue (2). Monkeypox is designated as a zoonotic virus because it spreads from animals to humans. It enters the body through the oropharynx (mouth), nasopharynx (nasal passage), or intradermal (skin) routes. Once inside the human body, the virus replicates at the entry site and spreads into lymph nodes, a part of the immune system that filters out foreign substances (3). The virus then incubates for 1-2 weeks and ends around 3-4 weeks after symptoms. The most obvious symptom is the rash, which starts as bumps but quickly transitions into pus-filled blisters called lesions. The lesions can remain on the body for 3-4 weeks, and over that time they tend to crust over. According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no specific treatment for Monkeypox. However, antiviral drugs for smallpox such as Tecovirimat (TPOXX) and Brincidofovir (Tembexa) have been used as a treatment (4).
Zoomed-in image of Monkeypox cells
While both COVID-19 and Monkeypox are zoonotic diseases, their fatality rate is a glaring difference that minimizes the danger of Monkeypox. Monkeypox had 100,000 reported cases and 220 deaths over the last two years (5). In contrast, COVID-19 had 704,753,890 cases and resulted in 7,010,681 deaths over three years (6). These result in death rates of 0.99% for COVID-19 and 0.22% for Monkeypox. While COVID-19 is more lethal, the true reason Monkeypox will not be as dangerous as COVID-19 is that it is less contagious. Looking at the number of cases over time, COVID-19 is a much more rampant disease that spreads faster and does greater damage. We must be careful of the dangers of Monkeypox, but we can rest assured that it will not be as catastrophic as COVID-19.
Bibliography:
- World. (2024, August 26). Mpox. Retrieved September 30, 2024, from Who. int website: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mpox#:~:text=such%20as%20needles.-,Outbreaks,of%20the%20Congo%20(1970).
- Mpox (Monkeypox): Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention. (2022, February 14). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from Cleveland Clinic website: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22371-monkeypox
- Moore, M. J., Balram Rathish, & Zahra, F. (2023, May 3). Mpox (Monkeypox). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from Nih.gov website: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574519/#:~:text=Mpox%20(Monkeypox)%20is%20a%20zoonotic,although%20with%20notably%20lower%20mortality.
- What is mpox, previously called monkeypox, how does it spread and how can it be prevented? (2024). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from Mayo Clinic website: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/expert-answers/monkeypox-faq/faq-20533608#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20specific%20treatment,may%20offer%20vaccinia%20immune%20globulin.
- World. (2024, August 26). Mpox. Retrieved September 30, 2024, from Who. int website: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mpox#:~:text=Over%20120%20countries%20have%20reported,220%20deaths%20among%20confirmed%20cases.
- COVID – Coronavirus Statistics – Worldometer. (2024). Retrieved September 30, 2024, from Worldometers.info website: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
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