Ana Banko, a virologist and assistant professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Belgrade, explained to K1 television that monkeypox is a virus that has been known for decades and that, therefore, there is no cause for concern.
– Measles is a zoonzoan virus, which means that the virus is transmitted to humans from animals. The incubation period for monkeypox, that is, the period from infection to manifestation of the virus, can last from seven to 14 days. The first symptoms that a person suffering from monkey pox got are fever, malaise, specific pain in the back, headache which then spreads to other parts of the body – Blanco told K1 television.
These symptoms, she added, can appear two to three days before an infected person develops a skin rash.
“It is important to note that people who do not feel bad may also have changes that are not noticeable, and are localized in the oral cavity, anus and vagina,” Banko explains.
She emphasized that the ways of transmission of this virus are much more difficult than the ways of transmission of Covid, so it is easier to keep this virus under control.
- We are talking about infectious changes on the skin and infectious body fluids, so that apart from transmission from animals to humans, transmission is also through direct human-human contact – touching, kissing and sexual contact. Also, if people live together and share everything, transmission can occur – said Blanco.
However, as he said, due to the already known mode of transmission, the close contacts of the patient are primarily informed and they should monitor their symptoms. If they develop symptoms, the next step is self-isolation.
Banko emphasized that today we do not have a specific therapy for monkeypox, and that antiviral therapies, which are also used to treat other viral infections, are used for treatment.
- In most cases, monkeypox is a “self-limiting” disease that will go away on its own in two to four weeks. It is a DNA virus that does not have the ability to mutate, so the differences in the genome are not noticeable. A very few patients may develop more severe forms of the disease. Fatalities from monkeypox have not been reported anywhere except in Africa, where it is a more serious strain followed by other viruses. The therapeutically cared for patient has already received adequate therapy, feels well and can go home. Since monkeypox was first identified in 1958, this is the first time it has been recorded in our country. The virus that is currently circulating is unusual only because it has never been simulated in different parts of the world – Banko concluded.
