As Monkeypox, a disease endemic to Africa, has spread to other parts of the world, it is difficult to diagnose as it shows different symptoms, Bloomberg News reported on the 22nd (local time).
According to the news, based on the research results published by the medical journal ‘New England Journal of Medicine’ (NEJM).
As a result of analyzing 528 confirmed cases in 16 countries around the world, this study identified patients with rashes in only one area, such as the mouth, anus, and genitals.
This is different from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) description that rashes occur all over the body, including the face, inside the mouth, hands, feet, chest, genitals, and anus.
“Diagnosis is very important, but we don’t have the ability to actually identify the disease,” said study lead author Chloe O’kin, a professor at Queen Mary University in London.
Some local health authorities have already announced their own symptoms of Monkeypox and other symptoms.
The New York City health authorities explained in a notice on the 18th that some confirmed cases had a short incubation period of 2 to 5 days, unlike general infection cases, did not have high fever or enlarged lymph nodes, and only slight lesions appeared in the anus and genital area.
Co-author John Thornhill, a professor at Queen Mary University, said, “The symptoms different from the previous ones mean that Monkeypox infection cannot be confirmed, or it can be misdiagnosed as common sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and herpes. said.
Monkeypox, found historically in West and Central Africa, spread mainly through contact with infected animals or with infected households.
However, in Europe and the United States, contact between homosexual men is the main route of spread.
Most of the cases analyzed in this study were also gay or bisexual men who had sex with other men.
Monkey smallpox is known to be more severe in people with AIDS, but no such difference was detected in this study.
At present time, Monkeypox has not been classified as a sexually transmitted disease. It has not been determined if it is transmitted through sexual fluids such as semen.
The study found the virus in 29 of 32 semen samples but was not confirmed to be contagious.
Contrary to the government’s promise, there is currently a shortage of vaccines and treatments in some parts of the United States.
As a result, some people are reminded of the 1980s, when AIDS patients had no choice but to wait and wait because it was difficult to obtain a drug, Bloomberg said.