The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, but it’s not a disease that the general public has been familiar with.
For well over a decade, members of the scientific community have been concerned about the potential of a monkeypox epidemic.
With nearly 16,000 reported cases worldwide and counting, here’s what you need to know about monkeypox.
The good news is the version of monkeypox spreading across the globe — the West African type — isn’t particularly deadly. According to the CDC, more than 99% of patients can expect to survive.
However, an infection could prove fatal in children under the age of 8, individuals with compromised immune systems and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
The most common outcome following an infection is scarring from the rash. But more serious complications can arise, according to research of monkeypox in humans published in 2009, including pulmonary distress and bronchopneumonia. The virus can also lead to eye infections and corneal scarring, which in serious cases can result in permanent vision loss.
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As the virus can spread through skin-to-skin contact, the CDC advises people to exercise caution in situations where one can’t maintain some sense of personal space and bumping into others is impractical. In places where clothing is minimal and you could experience that contact, such as crowded raves and clubs, the risk goes up.
