The UK has been advised to prepare for an outbreak of mpox - previously known as 'monkeypox' disease - following the first confirmed case in Europe.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the situation a global health emergency, after it has been reported there have been 500-plus Mpox deaths.
A day later, Sweden announced that a person had contracted the virus after a visit to Africa - with Swedish Health minister Jakob Forssmed saying it was the ‘more grave’ clade 1 strain.
WHO have since called for ‘international help to stop the virus’, which causes rashes and flu-like symptoms.
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Africa is where the outbreak is currently happening, and it is being said that children and teens are most at risk, with over 60 percent of fatal cases being of those under the age of 5.
The disease used to be known as 'Monkeypox', however, it's name was changed by WHO for a particular reason.
'Monkeypox' became the disease's name after it was first identified at the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen in 1958, when monkeys used for research began developing pox - hence the name given to it in 1970.
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However, in 2022, the WHO decided to change it due to ‘racist and stigmatising language’ being reported to the organisation.
After numerous consultations, WHO decided upon the 'adoption of the new synonym mpox in English for the disease', which became the official terminology following 'a transition period of one year'.
They wrote: "This serves to mitigate the concerns raised by experts about confusion caused by a name change in the midst of a global outbreak. It also gives time to complete the ICD update process and to update WHO publications."
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Mpox can spread if you come into 'close contact' with an animal or a person infected with the virus.
And even though it’s not yet known which animal is largely carrying the disease, infected rodents are widely suspected of transmitting a lot of cases, according to the UK government.
A full range of symptoms include:
- Fever
- Rash
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chills
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
Cleveland Clinic further states: "The rash starts as flat, red bumps, which can be painful. Those bumps turn into blisters, which fill with pus.
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"Eventually, the blisters crust over and fall off. The whole process can last two to four weeks."
The website further explains that areas that could be effected are the 'mouth, face, hands, feet, penis, vagina or anus'.
According to Dr Meera Chand, a UKHSA deputy director, the current risk to the UK population is considered 'low'.
The UKHSA also said that up to December 2022, there had been 3,732 confirmed and highly probable mpox cases reported in the UK.
Mia Williams