Monkeypox outbreak
Recently the first death due to monkeypox has been recorded in Nigeria. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that monkeypox will not turn into a global pandemic.
- Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease. It is caused by a virus belonging to the orthopoxvirus genus.
- The orthopoxvirus genus also includes the variola virus (which causes smallpox), vaccinia virus (used in the smallpox vaccine), and the cowpox virus.
- It was first discovered in the year 1958. It is widely distributed near the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa.
- Transmission from animal to human can occur through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal wounds from infected animals.
Source – The Hindu
