Monkeypox: The start of another pandemic?
What is monkeypox and do we need to worry?
The disease known as monkeypox has garnered a lot of attention of late.
On Saturday, it was reported that there were 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox in 12 countries that are not endemic for the virus.
Read more: France, Germany, Belgium report first monkeypox cases
North and Central Africa appear to be the hardest hit areas.
Monkeypox is a disease that can be infectious. It belongs to the smallpox family, as they are both similar. However, monkeypox symptoms are milder.
The recovery rate is usually between two to four weeks, should you not need to be hospitalised.
The disease is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easy to contain through measures such as self-isolation and good hygiene.
Read more: Monkeypox: a rare disease with low fatality rates
Anyone at high risk of having caught monkeypox, is being advised to isolate for three weeks. So far, the UK has 20 confirmed cases.
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) May 23, 2022
Prof Tom Solomon from the Pandemic Institute tells #BBCBreakfast why we need to be cautious ⬇️https://t.co/4N2z55ksab pic.twitter.com/1o8hrg6NQY
The reason for the latest scare is because Britain has seen their number of daily infections rise.
Read more: Rare monkeypox outbreaks detected in North America, Europe
There is no connection between the recent spike in infections and those travelling from the West Africa region.
However, a chunk of the press have made a point of using images of black people to portray the articles surrounding monkeypox.
African publications have slammed media outlets who continue to do this.
OUR STATEMENT:
— FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION, AFRICA (@FPA_Africa) May 21, 2022
The Foreign Press Association, Africa registers its displeasure against media outlets using images of black people alongside stories of the #monkeypox outbreak in North America and the United Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/u32yWLELJg
While there is absolutely no need to panic at this stage, it is vitally important that we continue to practice good hygiene. Remember, COVID-19 is still around, so you should be doing this anyway.
