Health Buzz

  Explaining monkeypox A cluster of monkeypox cases, mostly in young men, has been uncovered by European and American health experts in recent days. According to the Associated Press, this is a rare outbreak of a disease that only occurs in Africa. What specifically is monkeypox? Monkeypox is a virus that occasionally passes from wild animals like rats and primates to people. The disease is endemic throughout Central and West Africa, which accounts for the bulk of human cases. After two outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease in experimental monkeys, scientists found the virus in 1958, giving the term monkeypox. A nine-year-old kid in a rural part of Congo acquired the first human infection in 1970. Treatment and indications Monkeypox is a species of the same virus family as smallpox, but the symptoms are less. Fever, bodily pains, chills, and tiredness are the most common symptoms. Rashes and sores on the face and hands in people with serious illnesses can spread to other parts of...