What is the history of monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a disease caused by a [[virus::A very small organism that causes diseases in humans, animals and plants.]] that started spreading from animals to humans.
Humans first learnt about monkeypox when a bunch of [[research::A monkey scientists use to study and conduct experiments on because it is similar to a human.]] monkeys in a laboratory got infected with it in 1958. That’s why they named it monkeypox.
The first known case of a human with monkeypox happened in 1970 when a nine-year-old boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) got infected with it.
Monkeypox causes fever, headaches and tiredness. It also causes painful rashes on the skin.
How has monkeypox been spreading?
Usually, monkeypox cases show up only in certain parts of Africa. So far, any infection outside Africa was caused by people who had travelled to Africa or come in contact with infected African animals.
In 2022, hundreds of monkeypox cases started popping up across the world without any explanation. Most people infected with the monkeypox virus hadn't had any recent history of travel to Africa or African animals.
So…why is this happening?
No one knows why, but scientists have a guess.
Many years ago, a deadly disease named smallpox used to cause the deaths of many people. After many years of [[vaccinations::(Noun)
The process of giving someone a vaccine that prepares their body to fight disease]], smallpox finally went [[extinct::Something that is no longer in existence.]]. Monkeypox is a less scary cousin of smallpox.
Since monkeypox is similar to smallpox, the smallpox vaccine accidentally protected us against the monkeypox virus too. Now that humans have stopped receiving the smallpox vaccine, scientists think monkeypox is coming back.
Does monkeypox spread as easily as COVID?
Unlike COVID, monkeypox does not spread through the air. It requires close physical contact with the bodily fluids, like saliva, of a sick person. So it’s far more difficult for the virus to spread and infect people than it is for the COVID virus.
The monkeypox spreading across the globe rarely leads to anyone dying, so that’s a relief!
The best part - the monkeypox vaccine already exists in the form of the smallpox vaccine. We won’t have to wait for a new vaccine to be developed, as we had to with COVID.
So go ahead and enjoy your summer vacations without worrying about another pandemic.
Quick Revision
A virus causing fever, headaches, and painful skin rashes
Discovered in 1958 in lab monkeys; first human case in 1970 in Congo
Spreading now because we stopped smallpox vaccinations (which protected against monkeypox)
Does NOT spread through air - needs close physical contact, rarely causes death
Smallpox vaccine already works against it - much less dangerous than COVID
