What causes monkey pox?
Monkeypox is a rare disease that is caused by infection with monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The Orthopoxvirus genus also includes variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and cowpox virus.
What does monkey pox do to the body?
In humans, the signs and symptoms of monkeypox are similar to smallpox, but usually milder. About 12 days after people are infected with the virus, they may get a fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes and a general feeling of discomfort and exhaustion.
What is the difference between chickenpox and monkeypox?
It is from a different virus family than chickenpox. However, like chickenpox and smallpox, monkeypox causes a rash that forms into rounded poxes that scab over and can scar.
What is the scientific name for monkeypox?
Orthopoxvirus. Species: Monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus (MPV) is a double-stranded DNA, zoonotic virus and a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus in the family Poxviridae. It is one of the human orthopoxviruses that includes variola (VARV), cowpox (CPX), and vaccinia (VACV) viruses.
How is monkey pox treated?
Treatment may consist of immediate vaccination with smallpox vaccine because monkeypox is so closely related to smallpox and thus cross-protective. Treatment with an antiviral drug or human immune globulin has been done. In general, the prognosis for monkeypox is good to excellent as most patients recover.
What are the signs and symptoms of monkeypox?
What monkeypox symptoms look like
- The illness begins with a fever, headaches, swelling of different body parts, back pain and muscle aches, which sound similar to a normal cold.
- Then, the fever will stop and a rash will develop.
Is monkey pox contagious?
Monkeypox is contagious. Person-to-person transfer, probably by droplets, can occur infrequently. Risk factors for monkeypox include close association with African animals (usually rodents) that have the disease or caring for a patient who has monkeypox.
How can chickenpox be transmitted?
How is chickenpox spread? Chickenpox is transmitted from person to person by directly touching the blisters, saliva or mucus of an infected person. The virus can also be transmitted through the air by coughing and sneezing.
Is chickenpox a virus or bacteria?
What is chickenpox? Chickenpox is a highly contagious illness caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a type of herpes virus. It is often a mild illness, characterized by an itchy rash on the face, scalp and trunk with pink spots and tiny fluid-filled blisters that dry and become scabs four to five days later.
How did chickenpox originate?
The first chickenpox viruses probably emerged 70m years ago, around the time dinosaurs went extinct, and infected our distant ancestors – probably small furry mammals that lived in family groups in trees. Since that time, chickenpox viruses have evolved with us.