Metro 5 Ways On How To Prevent Monkey Pox Virus

[ProfRem]

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 31 suspected cases of monkey pox have so far been reported in seven states across the country.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of NCDC, made this known on Monday in Abuja.

Here are some ways to prevent its spread:

1. Avoid contact with animals that could harbor the virus (including animals that are sick or that have been found dead in areas where monkeypox occurs).

2. Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that has been in contact with a sick animal

3. Isolate infected patients from others who could be at risk for infection

4. Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

5. Use personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients



Signs and symptoms of the disease include:

Fever, Headache, Muscle aches, Backache, Swollen lymph nodes, Chills, Exhaustion. These signs occur between 0 – 5 days of contracting the disease.

After about 1 – 3 days of appearance of fever, the patient begins to develop rashes which starts from the face and spreads to several parts of the body.

Treatment

There is no proven treatment for the disease, however, smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can be used in controlling its spread.

 

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Monkey pox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth).

Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch, bush meat preparation, direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, or indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated bedding. Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets.

Respiratory droplets generally cannot travel more than a few feet. So prolonged face-to-face contact is required.

Other human-to-human methods of transmission include direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens.


Prevention

There are measures that can be taken to prevent infection with monkey pox virus:

Avoid contact with animals that could harbour the virus (including animals that are sick or that have been found dead in areas where the disease occurs).

Avoid contact with any material, such as bedding, that has been in contact with a sick animal and solate infected patients from others who could be at risk of infection.

Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans. For example, washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Also use personal protective equipment when caring for patients.