Monkeypox Virus: What Are the Risks and What Can We Do To Prevent It?

In an effort to strengthen its response to the outbreak, the US this week designated monkeypox a public health emergency.

The virus is still mostly transmitted by homosexual and bisexual males, but owing to vaccination shortages, researchers fear the disease may spread to other communities.

Monkeypox is seldom lethal and spreads by contact with pus-filled lesions.

How does monkeypox spread?

(Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images)

People may be experiencing memories of the time when they had to wipe off countertops and foodstuffs to get rid of the coronavirus as monkeypox sweeps across the country.

As per Inquirer, the danger of contracting monkeypox is still minimal for the majority of people.

In the current outbreak, 98% of infections have involved adult males who have had intercourse with the same sex.

How is the virus dispersing then? The monkeypox virus is thought to spread in three primary ways: directly through contact with an infected person's rash, indirectly through contact with contaminated items and textiles, or indirectly through respiratory droplets created when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Additionally, there is proof that a woman who is pregnant can pass the virus to her fetus through the placenta.

Your chance of contracting monkeypox can depend on a variety of variables, including having sex, attending crowded events, or caring for someone who is unwell.

According to Dr. Jay Varma, a physician and epidemiologist who specializes in infectious diseases at Weill Cornell Medical School in New York City, a person's susceptibility to infection may depend on how close you are to someone who is ill, how contagious they are, how much time you spend in their vicinity, and your own health.

As of July 25, a technical study by the U.S. revealed that 99.1% of monkeypox cases in the country included people who were born male.

White, non-Hispanic men made up around 38% of the cases. Male Blacks made up another 26% of the population, while male Hispanics made up 32%.

60% of cases of monkeypox in Africa, where it has been reported regularly since the 1970s, are in men, and 40% are in women.

Also Read: WHO Declares Current Monkeypox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern

The different levels of risks in monkeypox

High danger

Close, personal contact with an infected person is what puts a person at the most risk of contracting the virus, as per The New York Times.

This covers any skin-to-skin contact, such as that experienced during intercourse or when caressing, embracing, massaging, or kissing another person.

Although they may provide an extra layer of protection during sex, condoms are unlikely to shield you from touching sores on an infected person's groin, thighs, buttocks, or other body areas.

According to Dr. Bernard Camins, the medical director for infection control at the Mount Sinai Health System, intimate household contacts with roommates and family members are also at a markedly increased risk of contracting monkeypox.

Moderate risk

Face-to-face or almost face-to-face contact poses a higher risk of respiratory droplet transmission than would being several feet away.

Health officials advise keeping at least 6 feet away from patients who aren't wearing masks to prevent being exposed, but other experts contend that this distance is arbitrary.

However, covering up indoors is an excellent idea if you want to protect yourself against monkeypox, just like with Covid-19.

Especially in regions of the country where infections are prevalent, going to a crowded indoor party might put you in danger of contracting the virus.

Raves, where attendees are dancing together for extended periods of time and making direct skin-to-skin contact, may be much riskier.

Lower danger

By putting on clothes in a store or by touching nonporous objects like door knobs and countertops, people are unlikely to get the virus.

Furthermore, several behaviors that people learned to avoid during Covid-19 spikes presumably pose less of a danger for the spread of monkeypox.

For instance, it is doubtful that riding the bus, metro, or another kind of public transportation, going to work, or attending school will expose one to monkeypox.

However, authorities warn that as more information on monkeypox is gathered, this advice could change.

If the virus is allowed to continue growing unchecked, it may ultimately infect a larger population, increasing the risk of illness for everyone.

Related article: New Zealand Records First Monkeypox Case, Reveals Increasing Threat as Virus Enters New Continent