Comics

By Fritz F. Bustamante

The sudden appearance of the monkeypox has certainly caught everyone off guard. Since May, the world has seen over 16,000 confirmed cases of this virus. With the Philippines having reported its first case on July 29, the worry of another outbreak causing havoc in the country now grows. Yet again, we face a future that holds a concern of uncertainty.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by the infection of the monkeypox virus. It is a transmissible disease and its spread relies on prolonged, direct, skin-to-skin contact, as well as through respiratory droplets. There are two main types of monkeypox—the West African type and the Congo Basin type. The current outbreak of monkeypox is caused by the former. The CDC clarifies that the West African type of monkeypox is less severe than the strain of the Congo Basin type.

WHAT IS MONKEYPOX?

By Hanz Lloyd A. Paderon

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE AVAILABLE?

There is no existing treatment specifically for the monkeypox virus. However, since monkeypox and smallpox are genetically similar, treatments used for smallpox can also be used for monkeypox. Antiviral drugs and vaccines that are developed for smallpox may be used to prevent and treat the monkeypox infection. Antivirals like tecovirimat (TPOXX) are usually prescribed to people who are likely to get severely ill with the virus.

IS IT A CONCERN?

Infections with the West African type monkeypox are rarely fatal and over 99% of people who get this form of the disease are likely to survive. Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease, which means it resolves on its own without needing treatment. That said, children under the age of 8, people with a history of eczema, people who are pregnant, and immunocompromised people are all likely to get seriously ill and even die from this virus.

WHAT PREVENTIVE MEASURES CAN WE TAKE?

Avoid skin-toskin contact with people who have a rash Practice proper hygeine Get vaccinated with existing vaccines such as JYNNEOS and

ACAM2000 WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

These symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the said virus, and the infection generally lasts anywhere between two to four weeks.

Fever Exhaustion

Chills Headache

Swollen lymph nodes Muscle aches and backache

Respiratory symptoms Rashes that look like pimples

References: nature.com/articles/s41433-022-02195 | medpagetoday.com/special-reports/features/99922 | nbcchicago.com/news/local/how-is-monkeypox-transmitted-heres-how-and-where-the-virus-isspreading/2899765/| hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/monkeypox | nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01686 | cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/index.html| cdc.gov/smallpox/index.html| publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/what-you-need-to-know-about-monkeypox