Geneva. In view of the rapid spread of the Pox virus in Africa, the World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern. But what is Pox, where did it spread from originally and how can the world combat this threat? An advisory has been issued regarding this. The spread of Pox has also generated fear similar to the early days of Covid-19 and HIV infection. The World Health Organization’s regional director in Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, dismissed these concerns on Tuesday. He gave important information about this.
Ampox was first reported in 1958 when several laboratory monkeys were found to be infected with the virus. It is a zoonotic viral disease. It can spread from animals to humans and can also spread from human to human. Human ampox was first identified in 1970 in a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ampox was a local disease in Central and West Africa a few years ago, but in 2022 it spread to become a global infection. After this, the WHO had to declare ampox a public health emergency in July. The symptoms first seen in patients with ampox are similar to smallpox. But it is clinically less severe. In 2003, the first case of ampox outside Africa was reported in the US and was linked to contact with infected pet prairie dogs. It is named ampox, but most animals such as rodents such as Gambian giant rats or tree squirrels can be infected and then further infect people.
Ampox is most common in the rainforests of central and western Africa, and the animals that carry the virus are native to those regions. In these countries, the disease is increasingly being seen in urban areas. It can sometimes be found in people who have been infected after visiting these countries. Symptoms usually include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, back pain, lack of energy, swollen bumps, and skin rashes or sores. The rashes and sores on the skin usually appear on the first or third day of the onset of fever. The sores may be flat or slightly raised, filled with clear or yellowish fluid, then dry up and fall off in a scab.