Understanding Monkeypox

Understanding Monkeypox

Monkeypox is making headlines and alerting health experts as cases appear in the United States. So, what is monkeypox?

Monkeypox, a viral disease passed to animals and humans, is very rare in the United States. It’s usually found in Central and West Africa. As monkeypox cases rise in Europe and the United States, health authorities are expressing concern about the unusual uptick.

Signs and Symptoms

The incubation period from infection to symptoms of monkeypox is usually 7-14 days, and the illness lasts for 2-4 weeks.

Monkeypox symptoms are similar but milder than those of smallpox. The illness begins with the following symptoms:

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
  • Backache
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Chills
  • Exhaustion

Within 1-3 days after a fever begins, people may develop a rash starting on the face and then spreading to other body parts

Treatment

There is no proven, safe treatment for monkeypox virus infection. However, most people recover in 2-4 weeks.

Prevention

Transmission of monkeypox occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, eyes, nose or mouth. According to the CDC and WHO, the smallpox vaccine is 85% effective in preventing monkeypox infection.

Consider the following measures to prevent infection with monkeypox:

  • Avoid contact with (live or dead) animals that could harbor the virus.
  • Avoid contact with any materials, such as bedding, that have been in contact with a sick animal.
  • Isolate infected patients from others who could be at risk for infection.
  • Practice good hand hygiene—washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer— after contact with infected animals or humans.
  • Use personal protective equipment when caring for patients.

Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for more information about monkeypox. If you have health concerns, contact your doctor.

This information is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. For further information, please consult a medical professional. © 2022 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved

Repeat COVID Becomes Deadlier with Each Infection

Repeat COVID Becomes Deadlier with Each Infection

A study published in the November 10th, 2022 issue of Nature Medicine, discovered that becoming reinfected with COVID-19 doubles your risk of death from related health issues, and triples your risk for hospitalization. Moreover, the researchers stated the risks and burdens associated with reinfection remained, even after accounting for differences in COVID-19 variants such as Delta, Omicron, and BA.5. They found a person is more likely to experience issues with their lungs, heart, brain, blood, muscles, and digestive system following a second or third bout with Covid-19. 

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis conducted a large retrospective cohort study that involved data given to them by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In all, the data pool consisted of 443,588 patients with a single SARS-CoV-2 infection, 40,947 with two or more infections, and 5.3 million noninfected individuals. 

“Reinfection with COVID-19 increases the risk of both acute outcomes and long COVID,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “This was evident in unvaccinated, vaccinated and boosted people.” U.S. News and World Report, 11/10/22

Study participants with repeat infections were over three times more likely to develop lung problems, three times more likely to suffer heart conditions, and 60% more likely to experience neurological disorders than patients who had been infected once. Researchers reported higher risks were most evident the first month following reinfection and still a factor six months later.

The good news is periodic testing at weekly or bi-weekly intervals can help you anticipate outbreaks in your facility and stop or slow the spread. As soon as infections are apparent, the infected individuals can be quarantined and those who begin to fall seriously ill can receive immediate medical attention.

Learn more about our Weekly COVID Testing Program and how you can better protect your facility from devastating outbreaks.

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