Infectious Diseases
Here’s Why a Public Health Emergency Has Been Declared for Monkeypox in the US.
I provide my perspectives and key takeaway points on this necessary and timely precaution.
Purpose of the Article
This article informs the recent update on the Monkeypox situation in the US. In addition, I offer my perspectives on global development based on our learning from the Covid situation. This story is an opinion piece for awareness and does not include health advice.
Quick Update on the Current Situation of Monkeypox in the United States
Almost a month ago, I posted an article titled Not Taking Monkeypox Seriously Might Result in Another Pandemic. The reason for the article was noticeable trends based on patterns I observed in European data. The UK situation was alarming. Therefore, I published the article last month.
I have an optimistic outlook on life, always approaching issues calmly and logically. However, infectious diseases require a more realistic and rigorous approach due to their detrimental nature. Therefore emergency by authorities is necessary to lower risks.
Interestingly some subscribers privately mentioned that it is negligible in the US, and the message in the title of my story might not apply to them. Unfortunately, infectious diseases do not discriminate against nations. They can pass borders very quickly. Covid was a prime example.
When listening to the news on the BBC earlier this morning, I heard that the US government also declared Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency. I see this as a positive move for various reasons, as I mentioned in my previous article.
When the World Health Organization attempted the same thing a few months ago, social media sentiments were negative about it. Then two weeks ago, the WHO promoted the situation as an emergency alert due to the increase of Monkeypox globally. It is believed that current cases are around 26,000.
According to BBC news, “Monkeypox cases in the US have topped 6,600. A quarter of these cases have appeared in New York, which declared its own state of emergency over the disease last week. The two states with the next highest caseloads (California and Illinois ) declared states of emergency earlier this week.”
I am sorry to hear and read about the rise of Monkeypox incidents in the US. However, it is inspiring to know that the government is proactive and creates an emergency to protect citizens.
My Thoughts on Monkeypox Based on Learnings from the Covid Pandemic
Even though Monkeypox does not look as severe as Covid, its emergence is still a concern as it is an infectious disease which serious side effects.
Despite my extreme caution over the last two years, unfortunately, I got infected with the Covid virus a few weeks ago, as I documented in my recent article titled Here’s How I Recovered from the Covid Virus Quickly with Five Lifestyle Steps.
Fortunately, I recovered within a week. However, unfortunately, other family members, relatives, and neighbors took longer to recover.
Last year when my wife got infected with the Covid virus for the first time, she was severely impacted with neurological side effects requiring her to be hospitalized, as I documented in this article titled Reflections from My 14 Day Compulsory Isolation, Ended Yesterday.
Seeing many people dying and suffering from Covid affected all of us globally. Almost every nation suffers from the Covid virus. It does not discriminate. Fortunately, we made good progress with vaccines and other measures which reduced mortality and morbidity effects.
I provided this background about Covid because of the problems in our collective response to it in early 2020. For example, some people and even some governments initially did not take it too seriously. As a result, it spread too quickly, causing the global pandemic.
It is the nature of infectious diseases. We experienced it throughout history. Millions of people died and suffered because of contagious diseases.
Despite scientific and technological breakthroughs, since 1996, around 17 million people have died from infectious diseases each year, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
Unfortunately, infectious diseases are in the top ten list of World Health Organization causing death. I documented my findings and perspectives on infectious diseases in an article titled Prevent Infectious Diseases in Five Steps.
As Monkeypox is an infectious disease, my goal is to create awareness for collective diligence. It is every individual’s responsibility. While protecting ourselves, we also safeguard others.
When I wrote my article a month ago, as of 7 July 2022, there were 20 cases in Australia, where I live. When I checked the government site today, the number increased to 57.
This number in Australia looks negligible compared to the US, UK, and other European countries, but it is still a concern to me as it doubled within less than a month. This doubling effect is a concerning pattern to me.
From my experience and observations, even though Australians are careful and the government is very supportive in dealing with infectious diseases, the official number of cases doubled. There might be more as not every case is officially reported.
A Brief Background to Monkeypox
Even though I provided comprehensive information in my previous article, I’d like to introduce it for awareness purposes briefly. Readers interested in details and relevant links might check my previous article.
According to WHO, “Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. Severe cases can occur. The case fatality ratio has recently been around 3–6%.”
NHS informs us that “we can catch Monkeypox from an infected animal if we’re bitten or touch its blood, body fluids, spots, blisters, or scabs. The monkeypox virus can also spread from person to person through clothing, bedding, or towels used by someone with the monkeypox rash, touching monkeypox skin blisters or scabs (including during sex), and the coughs or sneezes of a person with the monkeypox rash.”
My understanding from the developing literature is that Monkeypox resembles smallpox. However, Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and causes less severe illness.
We need to watch symptoms proactively. According to the NHS report, “Monkeypox’s first symptoms include a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, shivering, and exhaustion.”
In addition, the NHS report elaborates on symptoms. Here is the summary:
“A rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face, then spreads to other body parts. This can include the genitals. The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into small blisters filled with fluid. These blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off.”
According to the WHO report, “Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to various medical complications.”
NHS informs that “it usually takes five to 21 days for the first symptoms to appear. The symptoms usually clear up in a few weeks.”
Vaccination Consideration for Monkeypox
Unfortunately, we did not have vaccines when the Covid pandemic started. Therefore millions of people got affected by the side effects of the virus.
Fortunately, proactive vaccination programs saved millions of lives and reduced the suffering of infected people.
However, the good news is that there are current vaccines for Monkeypox. As informed by CDC, ACAM2000 or JYNNEOS is currently available.
And the better news is that new ones are being developed, as the World Health Organization informed.
I am not sure everyone might need vaccinations at this stage. However, high-risk people, especially healthcare professionals dealing with situations, might need.
For interested readers, I provide a link to the Monkeypox vaccination guide for US citizens provided by CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). It was updated on July 28, 2022.
Conclusions and Takeaways
As the impact and implications of infectious diseases are critical for public health, we cannot undermine their importance.
We learned a lot from the Covid pandemic affecting our health and economy. With this knowledge, we must be diligent in preventing another pandemic that Monkeypox might cause.
I am glad the US created this emergency on time to protect citizens.
As I mentioned in my previous article, even though Monkeypox seems less impactful than other infectious diseases, it might cause a global impact if not taken seriously by governments and citizens at this nascent stage.
The data from Europe and the US show us vital signs.
Treating infectious diseases is critical. However, lowering risks to prevent them with lifestyle habits is also paramount.
Since infections might spread quickly and affect others, following advice from healthcare professionals, government regulations, and workplace and school policies are necessary to prevent the spread of diseases.
Even though infectious diseases are complex, their prevention methods are simple and effective. The key points are refraining from contact with infected people and animals and improving our immunity.
Recognizing symptoms timely and notifying family members, friends, colleagues, and government departments is necessary when we get tested positive for any infectious disease. It is a public health matter.
Infectious diseases can also affect our mental health and well-being. Thus, we must create awareness and collectively and diligently lower risks for a healthier society.
Here are the key takeaway points to reduce the risks of infectious diseases.
1 — Pay attention to personal hygiene.
2 — Ensure your food and water are clean.
3 — Refrain from contact with infected people and animals.
4 — Obtain necessary medications and vaccinations timely.
5 — Improve the defense system with lifestyle habits.
6 — Perform safe sex.
7 — Follow the advice from healthcare professionals when tested positive.
8 — Inform family members, friends, colleagues, and government departments when tested positive for any infectious disease.
With collective diligence and a cautious approach, we might lower the risks of infectious diseases threatening our health and lifespan.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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Disclaimer: Please note that this post does not include health or professional advice. I documented my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA.
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