Grapevine

Mpox is back. What does it mean?

It was clear in that earlier submission that the name monkey pox had some racist undertones, and it followed a long series of dangerous ailments being blamed on the dark continent, ranging from the origins of HIV/AIDs to Ebola Virus Disease, Marburg fever and several others.

Mpox is typically found in Central and West Africa, but it has been reported in other parts of the world, including the United States and Europe, in recent years. Some of the important facts about mpox include the mode of transmission of the virus and the characteristics of the disease condition.

Once more, the WHO has found it necessary to declare an infectious disease as one of public health concern for the second time in four years. It simply indicates that while global warming and expanding populations have much to do with the frequency of these disease outbreaks, the fact that as humans, we often forget the health lessons learned during one scary disease outbreak is soon forgotten also, and that has a bearing on the trajectory of disease conditions.

The transmission of Mpox can occur through direct contact with infected bodily fluids which include blood, saliva, and the sweat of any person suffering from the disease and also by indirect contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.

These factors influencing the spread of the disease often weigh heavily on the burden of risk for healthcare workers. This is also the case for people who work in the garbage evacuation industry where they are often ill-informed about adequate health practices or are often too poorly equipped to deal with the variety of merchandise they are required to handle.