DuBois, Pennsylvania, Aug. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Just when people’s fears about the many variants of the COVID-19 virus began to ease, a new virus – monkeypox — became news and may be causing some people to worry. With the federal government declaring the growing monkeypox outbreak a national health emergency, Deepak Garg, MD, a physician with Penn Highlands Infectious Disease, participated in a recent interview about the virus. Below are his comments.
Dr. Garg: Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which is in the same family of viruses that causes smallpox. Monkeypox is milder than smallpox and is rarely fatal.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Dr. Garg: The symptoms of monkeypox are very similar to those of many other illnesses – fever, headache, chills, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes and respiratory problems such as a sore throat, nasal congestion and cough. However, the one big difference is that with monkeypox, a rash presents. The rash is commonly near the genitals, but it can also be on the hands, feet, chest or face. The rash may look like pimples or blisters and may be itchy or painful before scabs form and they heal.
Is monkeypox contagious?
Dr. Garg: The known forms of monkeypox transmission include: through personal contact such as skin-to-skin contact; coming in contact with an infected person’s body fluids or respiratory secretions or touching clothing or linens that have be worn or used by someone with the virus.
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