Monkeypox: Dr Chris outlines the main symptoms
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Another seven monkeypox cases have been identified in England, bringing the total to 78 infections in the whole UK. Despite the number of cases climbing higher, experts share risk to the population remains low. However, doctors urge the public to be able to recognise the symptoms.
Doctor Kurt Zaeske, a veterinarian who lives in Wisconsin, caught monkeypox in America’s biggest outbreak in 2003.
The doctor developed symptoms of the virus after tending to ill prairie dogs at a breeding farm.
Informed about the illness of prairie dogs, Doctor Zaeske prescribed the animals antibiotics during his visit to the farm.
However, a few days later the breeder rang him to say that himself and his sister had both fallen ill.
The doctor also started to feel unwell. He said: “Suddenly, I started not feeling well.
“And then, of course, I was very concerned because at that time, we didn’t know what it was.
“My fear was ‘Oh my gosh, is this an exotic disease? I’ve got to figure out what it is.’”
His initial symptoms were fever, dizziness, nausea and persistent tiredness.
In a few days, he developed a small lesion across his body and a “very painful” blister on his thumb, leaving him fearful of losing the finger.
“My biggest fear was that I was going to lose my thumb and not be able to practice anymore,” doctor Zaeske said.
The NHS also reports similar symptoms to what the vet described. The full list includes:
- High temperature
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering (chills)
- Exhaustion.
When it comes to the tell-tale rash, this sign tends to appear within one to five days after your first symptoms make an appearance.
Monkeypox rash often starts on your face, eventually spreading to other parts of your body, the health service explains.
Starting as raised spots, the rash later turns into small blisters filled with fluid.
These blisters then form scabs, which will fall off later on.
The NHS advises contacting your GP or 111 while staying at home and avoiding close contact with others if you develop symptoms of monkeypox.
After Doctor Zaeske tested positive for monkeypox, doctors treated him with antibiotics while he was self-isolating.
The vet shared he’s not aware of passing the infection on to anyone he worked with or his family.
He detailed his experience with monkeypox to NBC, explaining that having the disease was “scary” initially, but it was also “fascinating” to be part of the outbreak.
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