Monkey Pox: Time To Observe And Sensitize Or To Ignore?

Monkey Pox: Time To Observe And Sensitize Or To Ignore?

Nigeria is one country with her daily share of reports of new infections like measles, Lassa fever, yellow fever and the likes, in which the monkey pox virus is no least.

Monkey pox is highly infectious on humans, caused by a monkey bite or scratch. With more than 46 reported cases and 15 cases confirmed from 7 states within a space of four months this year.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the country in 2020, there has been a high sensitization on strict adherence to COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines like the constant practice of hand washing with soap and water, the use of hand sanitizer, use of face masks and more.

Adherence to these kind of guidelines are applicable in preventing the spread of monkey pox from person to person.

However, this infection should be of great concern as the disease kills one out of ten infected persons due to its rapid spread.

Studies has it that some animals naturally maintain monkey pox in them in which African rodents are prime suspects of this transmission to people.

Symptoms varies from headache, fever, backache, muscle aches, chills exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes after which the patient develops a rash which mostly spreads across all parts of the body from the face.

Intimate contact such as sex, kissing, cuddling, or touching parts of the body with monkey pox sores are ways of being infected. Other ways of contacting monkey pox are direct contact with infected sores, body fluids, face-to-face contact and respiratory droplets.

In preventing monkey pox, the list is endless as one majorly needs to practice good personal hygiene, make use of personal protective materials i.e hand gloves especially by health workers caring for patients who should be kept in isolation. The use of face mask should be incorporated to avoid cough fluid or you master your cough etiquette. All these centers on avoiding spread of the infection from one another.

The virus can also be spread through infected materials such as clothing or linens and products made from infected animals. Any rash symptoms should immediately be reported for proper check.

Like the saying goes health is not valued until sickness comes. Self observation and public health awareness creation are important keys to help curtail the risk of having the spread of this virus.

Most importantly is that, people should guard against coming in contact with sick or dead animals with the virus particularly in environment likely to be known for it. This is not to cause panic in anyway rather, to help save communities and rural area with little or no information about monkey pox virus.