By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

The number of monkeypox cases, confirmed and suspected, reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was nearly a 1,000 case increase compared to 2019.

Monkeypox Image/CDC

In 2019, DRC reported 5,288 suspected monkeypox cases, a high number indeed; however, this number was eclipsed in 2020 where a total of 6,257 suspected and confirmed cases were reported.

In addition, the number of deaths more than doubled from 2019 to 2020–107 and 229 deaths, respectively.

Monkeypox is a rare disease that occurs throughout remote parts of Central and West Africa, often near tropical rain forests.

People at risk for monkeypox are those who get bitten by an infected animal or if you have contact with the animal’s rash, blood or body fluids. It can also be transmitted person to person through respiratory or direct contact and contact with contaminated bedding or clothing.

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Fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and exhaustion are followed by a rash.

Patients are usually ill for 2–4 weeks. Monkeypox is fatal in as many as 10% of people who get it.

There is no specific treatment for monkeypox.