Monkeypox was once known as an uncommon infection primarily confined to rainforest regions in central and western Africa. Recent cases, however, have emerged in larger numbers in other countries. Some cases have been linked to exposure to exotic animals, but human-to-human transmission is also a major method of spread, especially with this recent outbreak. There are two clades of Monkeypox virus: West African and Congo Basin. Infections in the current outbreak are from the West Africa clades.
Patients can present with symptoms that overlap with other diagnoses, such as fever, headache, chills, swollen lymph nodes, respiratory problems (e.g sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough), fatigue, and rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. It is noted that rash goes through different stages before healing completely and illness typically last 2-4 weeks.
Monkeypox spreads in different ways. The virus can spread from person-to-person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids. It can also be spread by respiratory secretion during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact. Touching items such as clothing or linens that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids is another way monkey pox spreads.
Identification of infection is the first step to getting effective treatment said Dr. Koirala. Solaris Diagnostics is now live with real-time PCR testing to identify monkeypox. If the infection with or exposure to monkeypox is suspected and there are active skin lesions, real-time PCR is a rapid, reliable test for diagnosing or ruling out monkeypox. Our turnaround time is only 24 hours from the time the specimen is received in the laboratory, much faster than culture-based testing.