What is monkeypox and its signs and symptoms? - CNN

Several cases of monkeypox in the UK among people who have no known travel or contact with others with the virus have health officials there and at the CDC concerned, but there is no cause for alarm, US Surgeon General Dr.

However, a vaccine is available that can be given to prevent the development of disease," Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a statement.

How is monkeypox spread?

Close contact with an infected individual is required for the spread of the monkeypox virus, experts say.

Infection can develop after exposure to "broken skin, mucous membranes, respiratory droplets, infected body fluids or even contact with contaminated linen," Neil Mabbott, personal chair in immunopathology at the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said in a statement.

"When the lesions have healed, the scabs (which might carry infectious virus) can be shed as dust, which could be inhaled," said Dr.

These are often in lower-income settings with limited access to health care," said Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton in the UK.

However, in the developed world, "it would be very unusual to see anything more than a handful of cases in any outbreak, and we won't be seeing (Covid)-style levels of transmission," Head said in a statement.

Common household disinfectants can kill the monkeypox virus, according to the CDC.

Where did monkeypox originate?

Monkeypox got its name in 1958 when "two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research," the CDC said.

However, the main disease carrier of monkeypox is still unknown, although "African rodents are suspected to play a part in transmission," the agency said.

The first known case of monkeypox in people was "recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox," the CDC said.

After 40 years with no reported cases, monkeypox reemerged in Nigeria in 2017, the CDC said.