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If you have not had a chance to go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website to look up monkeypox, I will bring the CDC information to you. Even if you might think you are not at risk because of what you have heard in the news, I believe learning about the disease and how to prevent it is essential. As a gynecologist, I am not an expert in this field, so I copied and pasted the information I thought was important from the CDC website. There are links to get more details if you are interested.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.

How can monkeypox be prevented?

• Avoid close, skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash that looks like monkeypox.
• Avoid contact with objects and materials that a person with monkeypox has used.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or touching your face and after you use the bathroom.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox?

Symptoms of monkeypox can include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches and backache
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Chills
• Respiratory symptoms (e.g. sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
• A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus.
  • The rash goes through different stages before healing completely. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks.

Sometimes, people get a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others only experience a rash.

How does monkeypox spread?

Monkeypox can spread from person to person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex.

Monkeypox can spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. Anyone in close personal contact with a person with monkeypox can get it and should take steps to protect themselves.

Is monkeypox deadly?

Infections with the type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak—the West African type—are rarely fatal. Over 99% of people who get this form of the disease are likely to survive. However, people with weakened immune systems, children under 8 years of age, people with a history of eczema, and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding may be more likely to get seriously ill or die.

The Congo Basin type of monkeypox virus has a fatality rate around 10%.

What treatments are available for monkeypox?

There are no treatments specifically for monkeypox virus infections. However, because of genetic similarities in the viruses, antiviral drugs used to treat smallpox may be used to treat monkeypox infections.

Who should get vaccinated for monkeypox?

CDC recommends vaccination for people who have been exposed to monkeypox and people who may be more likely to get monkeypox, including:

• People who have been identified by public health officials as a contact of someone with monkeypox
• People who know one of their sexual partners in the past 2 weeks has been diagnosed with monkeypox
• People who had multiple sexual partners in the past 2 weeks in an area with known monkeypox

Photo credit: UK Health Security Agency