An old idiom says, "it never rains, but it pours". This means that one difficult situation tends to follow another rapid succession. Just as the COVID-19 pandemic is being brought control many parts the world, another potential threat is rearing its ugly head. The WHO has reported that there have been 120 worldwide cases the rare monkeypox virus. It has been detected the UK, France, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the USA, Canada and Australia. The WHO said the virus could spread further the coming months. WHO spokesperson Hans Kluge said: "As we enter the summer season, mass gatherings, festivals and parties, I am concerned that transmission could accelerate".
Monkeypox is rarely fatal. Most the cases reported thus far have been fairly mild. Symptoms the disease include chills, fever, muscle aches, exhaustion and a nasty rash the hands and face. It usually clears two to four weeks contracting it. Monkeypox was first detected laboratory monkeys in 1958. It is thought to transmit wild animals such as rodents to people. It can also spread from person to person. The virus is related to the smallpox virus, for which there are vaccines. Scientists say a smallpox vaccine is 85 per cent effective against the monkeypox virus. Despite this reassuring figure, virologists the globe are high alert and are tracking the spread cases.
