Monkeypox
Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic viral disease.
It occurs primarily in rodents in Central and West Africa. The
term zoonotic indicates a disease that occurs in animals in nature
but can be transmitted from animals to humans under natural conditions.
In June 2003, health officials in the United States identified
dozens of cases of monkeypox in people in Wisconsin, Illinois
and Indiana. The affected people had direct or close contact with
recently purchased pet prairie dogs.
Health officials believe that these prairie dogs
had exposure to a sick pet Gambian rat, which is native to parts
of Africa. The infected prairie dogs passed through several Upper
Midwest animal distributors and pet exchanges. One person developed
the illness after contact with a rabbit that had been housed with
an ill prairie dog at a veterinary clinic.
In humans, the illness causes a rash that first
appears as fluid-filled blisters. The blisters may crust over
with time. This rash resembles the rash seen in smallpox and chickenpox.
Although related to smallpox, monkeypox isn't as contagious or
as deadly as smallpox. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), 1 percent to 10 percent of cases of human
monkeypox in Africa are fatal.
The length of time between exposure to the disease
and the start of symptoms is about 12 days. Signs and symptoms
include:
Fever (100.5 F or higher)
Rash on the head, trunk, arms and legs
Dry cough
Headaches
Muscle pain
Chills
Drenching sweats
If you have these signs and symptoms and have had contact with
a pet prairie dog or other pet rodent, be sure to tell your doctor
about the exposure. A doctor may diagnose monkeypox by a series
of complex tests done in collaboration with your state health
department.
Preliminary findings suggest that the primary route
of transmission may have been from close contact with infected
pet prairie dogs. In Africa, the disease has been known to spread
person to person. It's not known if the virus in the United States
also may spread person to person. For this reason, the CDC recommends
isolation for people with confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox.
Treatment is directed at managing the signs and
symptoms. Because monkeypox is a viral infection, antibiotics
are ineffective. The possible role of antiviral drugs isn't clear.
