Monkey Pox ?
Introduction
Monkeypox or formally known as Mpox is a zoonotic disease, which means it can be spread from animals to humans. It is caused by the monkeypox viruses which is kin to smallpox, but less severe. Mpox causes rash and flu like symptoms such as:
swollen lymph nodes
muscle aches
fever
The rash looks VERY similar to smallpox, but the good news is it not life threatening and can go away with proper care and treatment.
The How ?
How does one get this virus, the answer is simple really. M pox can spread from close contact from mammal to mammal (humans & animals) such as:
Kissing
Skin to skin contact (whether its simple touching or freaky frog activities)
face to face contact ( breathing on each other )
contaminated objects (such as needles in health care or tattoo needles )
Bites or scratches from animals
for my hunters , this can include skinning , trapping or eating animals. Although there is not much research on the animal to human contact because it is a zoonotic disease its important to remember that it can come from simple things like raw, undercooked or food that has not been properly cleansed.
Signs you could possibly have Mpox .
Alright, so let's break it down about this mpox situation, because it's not playing fair and you need to know what to look for. For some folks, the very first sign might be a rash just popping up, while others might get hit with a fever, some serious muscle aches, or a sore throat that feels like they swallowed sandpaper. Now, the mpox rash likes to make an entrance on the face before taking a tour all over the body, and it has a real thing for showing up on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. It can also start right where the contact happened, like in the genital area or around the anus. It begins all flat, then decides to rise up into a blister filled with liquid that can be either crazy itchy or downright painful. As it heals, it dries up, crusts over, and finally falls off. Some people might only get one or a few of these spots, and others can end up with hundreds, and they can appear anywhere—your mouth, your throat, you name it. On top of that, some people deal with some really not-fun stuff like painful swelling in their rectum, or feeling like they're passing fire when they pee. And listen, you can pass this on to someone else until every single sore has fully healed and a whole new layer of skin has formed underneath. While some people can have it and not show any symptoms at all, and might still pass it, we're still figuring out how often that goes down. It's especially important to know that kids, pregnant people, and anyone with a weakened immune system, like if your HIV isn't well controlled, are at a higher risk for getting way sicker, dealing with nasty complications, or worse. This virus can get serious, leading to other infections in your skin, your lungs, your eyes, or even your heart and brain, and in some cases, it can be fatal, so we gotta stay aware. So far only mild cases have been reported in the United States before the shutdown of the CDC and NIH but I just thought everyone should be aware of the what ifs.
Below is an image of what Mpox looks like with those with a darker skin tone( of course because there aren’t that many out there for us you know. )
Stage 5: Mpox; palm of the hand.
Stage 4: Monkeypox; Back of the hand.
The Monkey Pox rash has different stages and it is important to understand these 5 stages.
Now, one of the key things to know about this mpox rash is how it moves. Unlike a random breakout, these lesions tend to pop up all at the same time and evolve together on your body. So, if you have a few spots on your arm, they're all going to change and develop in sync. They go through a whole process, starting as flat spots (Stage 1 ), then rising up into bumps (Stage 2 ), filling with clear fluid to become blisters(stage 3) and then turning into pus-filled sores (Stage 4 ) before they finally dry out, scab over and fall off. (stage 5)
Self care and further spread of MPox
Contact a TRUSTED Provider (Medical Doctor ) Some folks are not up to date on what is happening in the world or fail to care for the likelihood of others. It is important to get accurate results from a professional regarding your signs and symptoms ( I am not that professional, yet anyway).
Stay your ASS at home. Quarantine is very important for a virus like this as it could possible last for 2 weeks. You are contagious and going out , whether it’s to get groceries or going to work you are putting others at risk. Please do not be an idiot. If you live with others, wear a mask and keep your rash covered when you are around them until it fully heals. when you are alone it is okay to uncover the rash so it can properly heal.
WASH YOUR HANDS AND YOUR BODY . I am not giving you another lecture on good hygiene, we are adults.
DO NOT for whatever reason pop the blisters or scratch them. This can slow down the healing process and potentially spread to other parts of your body.
So in Conclusion ………. About this Mpox
Mpox is definitely out here, but we ain't gotta panic. Just be smart. It's a whole thing you can catch from being all up on people whether that’s through touch, kissing, breathing the same air, or even from some animals. The main sign is that funky rash that goes through all different stages, from bumps to blisters to scabs. So if you feel off and see a rash start to pop up, don't play with it. GO SEE A DOCTOR , And then STAY YOUR ASS HOME. Don't be out here spreading it around because you wanted to go to the store or decided you weren't that sick. That's just being messy. While you're healing, leave the sores alone. Don't be popping or scratching them, you’re just gonna make it worse and slow down the healing process . Keep it clean, cover it up around others, and let your body do its thing. At the end of the day, it's about looking out for yourself and your people. Know the signs, handle your business if you get sick, and let's all get through this without the extra drama. Y’all stay safe.
For more information about Mpox, I have provided some good articles below. Although they are not up to date, reading about them can give you the basic knowledge of what MonkeyPox is exactly and how to handle it properly
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mpox
https://www.cdc.gov/monkeypox/index.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574519/