Monkeypox don dey reported with at least 80 confirmed cases for 11 kontris including UK, Portugal, Spain and United States.
Di outbreaks dey alarming as e be say di viral disease mostly dey occur for west and central Africa – e dey rare to spread for oda places.
Dem first discover monkeypox from monkeys and e dey spread through close contact of pesin wey get am.
Dis na wetin scientists know so far.
Monkeypox spread abroad dey highly unusual
Monkeypox na virus wey dey cause fever symptoms and bumpy rash.
E dey usually mild, although e get two main strains: di Congo strain wey dey more severe – wit up to 10% mortality.
And di West African strain wey get death rate in about 1% of cases.
Di UK cases don dey reported as di West African strain.
“Historically, very few cases don dey reported. E don only happun eight times in di past before dis year,” Jimmy Whitworth tok.
Whitworth na professor of international public health for di London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Di scientist say e dey highly unusual.
One cases also dey reported for di United States.
Monkeypox transmission
Di virus spread through close contact, both in spill overs from animals and between humans, but dis one dey less common.
Dem first find monkeypox in monkeys in 1958, dis na why dem give am dat name.
But dem don see say na rodents be di main animal host of dis virus.
Transmission dis time dey confuse experts sake of say some of di cases in di United Kingdom no get connection wit each oda.
Na nine cases dem don report for di United Kingdom as of May 18.
Only di first case wey dem report on May 6 recently travel to Nigeria.
Experts don warn of wider transmission if cases no dey reported.
Di UK Health Security Agency alert also highlight say di recent cases dey predominantly among men.
Particularly, those wey identify diasef as gay, bisexual or men wey dey have sex wit men.
Dem advise dis group of pipo to dey aware.
Scientists don dey carry out genomic sequencing to see weda di viruses dey linked.
Na so di World Health Organisation (WHO) tok dis weekend.
Why Monkeypox now?
One possible scenario wey dey behind di rise in cases na increased travel as dem don lift Covid-19 restrictions.
“My working theory go be say a lot of dis dey west and central Africa.
“Travel don resume, and na why we dey see more cases,” Whitworth tok.
Monkeypox put virologists on di alert sake of say e dey in di smallpox family, although e dey cause less serious sickness.
Dem eradicate smallpox wit vaccination in 1980, and dem don phase out di shot.
But e also protect against monkeypox, and reduction of vaccination campaigns don lead to a jump in monkeypox cases.
Di jump na for areas wia e no too dey happun, according to Anne Rimoin wey be epidemiology professor for UCLA for California.
Rimoin say urgent investigation of new cases dey important as “dem go suggest new way di virus dey take spread or change in virus.
“But dis gatz dey determined”. She add. Experts urge pipo make dem no panic.
“Dis no go cause nationwide epidemic like Covid.” Jimmy Whitworth tok.
“But na serious outbreak of a serious disease – and make we take am serious,” Whitworth add.
