The number of monkeypox infections are increasing worldwide. The World Health Organization therefore wants to convene an emergency committee. A person affected from Berlin describes how difficult the diagnosis is and what atypical symptoms can occur.
Due to the increasing monkeypox cases worldwide, the WHO committee should decide whether there is an emergency, such as that identified with the corona virus. Because the number of cases is increasing: in Germany alone there are now 263 cases (as of June 15).
However, the diagnosis does not seem to be easy, since different and atypical symptoms can occur. The affected Alexander Winter from Berlin describes his medical history on Twitter. He reports on his infection with monkeypox, the course of the disease and the problems with the diagnosis.
Winter says his infection started with a “rather ‘atypical cough'” that quickly got worse. After a short time, severe headaches and body aches were added. Winter writes that the whole thing initially felt more like the flu.
After two days, the Berliner found the first smallpox on his penis – but due to its appearance, he thought it was a pimple. In addition to the symptoms, chills and fever were added. Winter describes it this way: “an unrelenting, body-enveloping cold that – literally – shook me. The fever came on suddenly
Overall, the symptoms were more like syphilis, Winter writes in a well-noticed thread on Twitter. He emphasizes that until then none of his symptoms had pointed to monkeypox. Visually, the smallpox would have differed significantly from the pictures circulating on the Internet. Without medical expertise, it was therefore “impossible” to make a diagnosis. It was only because of another patient with similar symptoms that Winter’s family doctor finally managed to diagnose monkeypox.
Winter also emphasizes that the virus does not stop at sexual preferences. Contrary to numerous assumptions that only homosexual men can contract the virus, one thing is clear: direct physical contact, regardless of gender, can lead to an infection.
Alexander Winter is not an isolated case: After the first documented case was detected in England at the beginning of May and shortly afterwards the first German case in Munich, the number of cases is increasing worldwide.
It is a rather rare viral disease, presumably transmitted by rodents, which is caused by the monkeypox virus “Orthopoxvirus simiae”. It occurs mainly in West and Central Africa, but since the beginning of May global cases have been increasing.
According to the RKI, infection occurs primarily through direct physical contact. That means:
The shop pharmacy offers a large selection of medicines and cosmetics at particularly low prices.
According to information from the RKI, the first symptoms are fever, headache and muscle pain. This is followed by a rash, such as spots or pustules on the face or on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. This is often followed by swollen lymph nodes.
After about two to four weeks, the crusts of the rashes fall off. The incubation period also ranges around this period: it is currently assumed to be around three weeks. The rash occurs in the mouth and throat area, but also in the genital and anal areas. However, the symptoms can also vary greatly and sometimes overlap with other diseases.
According to current knowledge, the course is usually mild, so treatment is not necessary. Occasionally, however, there are severe courses with complications. In such cases, inflammation of the brain, bacterial skin infections, dehydration, as well as conjunctivitis, corneal and pneumonia can occur. This is relatively rare: most people recover within a few weeks.
First of all, infected people and their contact persons must contact the responsible health authority immediately. The isolation period is currently around 21 days. Anyone who shares living space with other people during this time should be careful not to share household items, as the virus can survive on surfaces for a very long time.
Evidence of monkeypox is provided by a PCR test in the laboratory. Laboratory diagnosis with samples of crusts or pustules is only carried out in certain cases, for example if one has had contact with animals or an infected person or has been in an endemic area such as West and Central Africa.
As Winter’s case shows, these criteria may need to be revised, as people who do not meet them are also infected. The list of symptoms would also have to be adjusted accordingly so that more atypical cases can also be recorded.
There is no vaccine for this particular smallpox virus. However, it is already known that general smallpox vaccination is effective. Contact persons can currently be immunized with the smallpox vaccine “Imvanex”. The federal government has already ordered 40,000 doses of vaccine.
