About

• Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.
• It is caused by monkeypox virus, an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family. There are two distinct genetic clades of the monkeypox virus: the central African (Congo Basin) clade and the west African clade.

• Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease, which resolves spontaneously, with or without specific treatment, with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases can occur. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has been around 3–6%.

Transmission

• Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, respiratory droplets and sexual contact. Transmission can also occur from contaminated materials such as linens, bedding, electronics, clothing, that have infectious skin particles.
• Various animal species have been identified as susceptible to monkeypox virus. This includes rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, non-human primates and other species.

Treatment

• Vaccines used during the smallpox eradication programme also provided protection against monkeypox.
• Newer vaccines have been developed of which one has been approved for prevention of monkeypox.

Why in News?

• The national capital reported its fifth confirmed case of monkeypox.

Reference:

1. https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=National-capital-reports-fifth-confirmed-case-of-monkeypox&id=445954