Health and Me

Ishita Srivastava

New Monkeypox Variant Emerges as Two Strains Combine, WHO Warns

Two strains of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) have combined with each other to create a new version of the disease, prompting the World Health Organisation to raise an alarm.

According to scientists, the Ib and IIb of MPXV have mutated together, and a case has been found in the UK and India, respectively. The first case was detected in the UK with travel history to a country in South-East Asia, and the second in India, with travel history to a country in the Arabian Peninsula.

Further analysis of each case shows that the two individuals fell ill several weeks apart with the same combined strain. Both cases had similar reported signs and symptoms of the disease and neither experienced severe outcomes.

As of now, these are the only known cases of this version of the virus.

Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Symptoms usually appear 1-21 days after exposure, and the illness lasts 2–4 weeks. People are considered to be contagious until all scabs have fallen off.

Mostly based in Africa, it was discovered by captive monkeys in 1958, after whom the disease was named in 1970. However, the name attracted many racist comments, especially on social media, where people wrote “the disease of monkeys” and associated it with Africans.

Under  WHO guidelines, the naming of diseases must not drive any unnecessary negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, and avoid offending any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups. Thus, the name monkeypox became the ‘m-pox’.

There are signs and symptoms of M-pox. They start to show within seven to 14 days of being infected. Therefore, for about a week, a person may not know they have m-pox, and they can spread it by travelling.

The earliest signs are getting a fever, sweating and having chills through your body. Other signs involve rashes, which start from a distant rash on the face and spread throughout the body. These rashes can be in different forms, sometimes a flat lesion, bumps, boils or scabs.

Symptoms can also include swollen lymph nodes, migraine, muscle aches, fatigue, weakness and back pain.

<h2>How Do You Prevent Mpox?</h2>This is a contagious infection and can spread by skin-to-skin contact. Here are some things you can do to safeguard yourself:

<ul><li>Restrict your movement by avoiding going out in public, meeting people and interacting with animals.</li><li>Wear clothes that will prevent skin-to-skin infections. </li><li>Hydrate yourself to get rid of the toxins from your body</li><li>Check if you have received your smallpox vaccination</li></ul>

Doctors also prescribe medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to treat the pain and fever one may experience after being infected

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Two strains of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) have combined with each other to create a new version of the disease, prompting the World Health Organisation to raise an alarm.According to scientists, the Ib and IIb of MPXV have mutated together, and a case has been found in the UK and India, respectively. The first case was detected in the UK with travel history to a country in South-East Asia, and the second in India, with travel history to a country in the Arabian Peninsula.Further analysis of each case shows that the two individuals fell ill several weeks apart with the same combined strain. Both cases had similar reported signs and symptoms of the disease and neither experienced severe outcomes.As of now, these are the only known cases of this version of the virus.What Is Mpox? Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Symptoms usually appear 1-21 days after exposure, and the illness lasts 2–4 weeks. People are considered to be contagious until all scabs have fallen off.Mostly based in Africa, it was discovered by captive monkeys in 1958, after whom the disease was named in 1970. However, the name attracted many racist comments, especially on social media, where people wrote “the disease of monkeys” and associated it with Africans.Under  WHO guidelines, the naming of diseases must not drive any unnecessary negative impact on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, and avoid offending any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups. Thus, the name monkeypox became the ‘m-pox’.How Can You Detect Mpox?There are signs and symptoms of M-pox. They start to show within seven to 14 days of being infected. Therefore, for about a week, a person may not know they have m-pox, and they can spread it by travelling.The earliest signs are getting a fever, sweating and having chills through your body. Other signs involve rashes, which start from a distant rash on the face and spread throughout the body. These rashes can be in different forms, sometimes a flat lesion, bumps, boils or scabs.Symptoms can also include swollen lymph nodes, migraine, muscle aches, fatigue, weakness and back pain.How Do You Prevent Mpox?This is a contagious infection and can spread by skin-to-skin contact. Here are some things you can do to safeguard yourself: Restrict your movement by avoiding going out in public, meeting people and interacting with animals.Wear clothes that will prevent skin-to-skin infections. Hydrate yourself to get rid of the toxins from your bodyCheck if you have received your smallpox vaccinationDoctors also prescribe medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen to treat the pain and fever one may experience after being infected