NewsDesk @bactiman63
Liberia confirmed a case of monkeypox on July 23 through the National Public Health Reference Laboratory in the country. An outbreak has been declared.
The case is a 43-year-old male who resides and works in Ebokayville Une, La Côte D’Ivoire but sought treatment at the Pleabo Health centre in Maryland County, Liberia where he was detected and isolated
with 4 contacts being line-listed, according to the World Health Organization.
This is the first case of monkeypox in Liberia since 2018.
Liberia’s Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah urged the public to “report all cases of individuals presenting with fever, headache, muscle pains, blistering, rash and swollen lymph.
Minister Jallah is also encouraging the public to immediately isolate anyone showing signs and symptoms of the disease and at the same time contact health authorities.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease indigenous to Central and West Africa. In humans, the disease is similar to smallpox, though milder.
According to the CDC, the symptoms of monkeypox are as follows: About 12 days after people are infected with the virus, they will get a fever, headache, muscle aches, and backache; their lymph nodes will swell; and they will feel tired. One to 3 days (or longer) after the fever starts, they will get a rash. This rash develops into raised bumps filled with fluid and often starts on the face and spreads, but it can start on other parts of the body too. The bumps go through several stages before they get crusty, scab over, and fall off. The illness usually lasts for 2 to 4 weeks.
Rodents, such as rope squirrels, door mice and pouched rats, are the suspected reservoir hosts, with monkeys and humans as secondary, spill-over hosts.
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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