Though still in the midst of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we are now seeing warning signs of another disease popping up in countries around the world monkeypox. This is not a new virus (it was first discovered in 1958), nor is it new to the UK (there have been regular small outbreaks over the years). However, we are now seeing a wider spread of the virus, with 100 cases and nearly 300 -suspected cases reported in more than 16 countries, including 57 cases in the UK, as of 24 May. Are we staring down the barrel of another pandemic?
Recent years have seen 13 isolated outbreaks of monkeypox that have been mostly contained to a single country and can be traced back to travel from Central and West Africa, where the virus is thought to reside. In May and June 2021, there were three cases of monkeypox in the UK that were linked to recent travel to West Africa. However, according to the World Health Organization, the current outbreak is proceeding differently, with many more cases, more human-to-human transmission and more people that became infected outside of Africa.
In Central and West Africa, monkeypox typically spreads from infected animals to humans, though some human-to-human transmission does occur. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention states that monkeypox infections result in fever, headache, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash that develops into blisters (pox) on the skin, including in the mouth, on the genitals, the eyes or the soles of the feet.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من BBC Science Focus.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2022 من BBC Science Focus.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO RECLAIM YOUR ATTENTION
Primed for constant interruptions, your brain is now distracting itself, says science. It's time to break the cycle and retrain your focus
GOING ROGUE
Some planets are stuck following the same orbital paths their entire lives. Others break free to wander alone through the vast, empty darkness of interstellar space and there's a lot more of them than you might think
BED BUGS VS THE WORLD
When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that's been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans. Now, with the 2024 Summer Olympics fast approaching, the stakes are higher than ever
THE EYES THAT WATCH THE SKY
When it launches in 2026, the Copernicus programme's Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring satellite will give us a new window on to Earth's atmosphere... And how we're altering it
TIME-RESTRICTED EATING LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DEATH
Skipping breakfast might not be so good for your health, after all
INSIDE THE PROJECT TO SCAN THOUSANDS OF RARE SPECIMENS
A major collaborative project has created 3D reconstructions of previously locked away museum specimens
VIDEO IS FIRST EVIDENCE OF AN ORCA KILLING A GREAT WHITE
Tourists sailing off the South African coast film a never-before-seen event: a lone orca attacking a 2.5m shark
AI REVEALS PROSTATE CANCER IS NOT JUST ONE DISEASE
DNA analysis carried out by artificial intelligence has helped scientists make a discovery that could revolutionise future treatment
MYSTERIOUS WAVES DETECTED IN JUPITER'S CORE
Scientists hope unusual fluctuations in the gas giant's magnetic field might reveal what's inside
MINI ORGANS GROWN FROM UNBORN BABIES MARK A BREAKTHROUGH IN PRENATAL MEDICINE
A new technique could allow congenital conditions to be diagnosed and treated before birth