University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus recently issued the following announcement.
The unusual spread of monkeypox from West and Central Africa, where it has occurred sporadically, has health experts on alert. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week issued a health advisory asking clinicians to be on the lookout for the virus’s characteristic rash and fever.
Since early May, more than 100 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in 12 countries, including at least two cases in the United States. Monkeypox was first discovered in captive monkeys in 1958, with the first case in humans confirmed in 1970.
“What’s different about this outbreak is we’re seeing cases outside of Africa – in the UK, Spain and Portugal as well as Canada and the U.S., so these are outside the endemic range of monkeypox,” said Daniel Pastula, MD, MHS, associate professor of neurology and infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. “Additionally, there doesn’t seem to be clear travel links to endemic areas among many of these cases, which would suggest there is some level of community transmission.”
Here, Pastula explains how serious the disease is, how it spreads and why vigilance is necessary to keep the outbreak in check.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Original source can be found here.
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