CNN: What is Monkeypox and its symptoms?

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Monkeypox, a far less deadly relative of smallpox, is spreading over the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 250 cases have been documented in at least 16 countries. According to the WHO, monkeypox is an endemic in tropical rainforests in central and western Africa, where it is becoming more common in urban areas. “This is an emerging disease. It has been emerging for the last 20 to 30 years, (so) it’s not unknown, it’s very well described,” Lewis, head of the smallpox secretariat, WHO Emergencies program, told reporters. “The risk for the general public, therefore, appears to be low, because we know that the main modes of transmission have been as described in the past.” According to the CDC, there is an incubation period of seven to fourteen days. Initial symptoms are often flu-like, such as fever, chills, tiredness, headache, and muscular weakness, followed by swelling in the lymph nodes, which aid the body in fighting infection and disease. Then a rash appears all over your face and body, including inside your mouth and on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. According to experts, close contact with an infected individual is required for the transmission of the monkeypox virus. More information about Sandee LaMotte’s article can be found here.

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