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How worried should India be on the monkeypox outbreak in Europe? All you need to know

This rare disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, but with much less severity.

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A rare disease that is caused by infection with monkeypox virus is on a rise in Europe. Monkeypox infections have been reported in Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The latest new cases were reported in France, Italy, Sweden and Australia.

Monkeypox is most common in remote parts of Central and West Africa. Cases of the disease outside of the region are often linked to travel to the infected areas. UK's National Health Service says monkeypox is a rare viral infection which is usually mild and from which most people recover in a few weeks.

Read | Why monkeypox virus is spreading rapidly, know how many variants are there

However, what is bothering health officials is that the virus may be spreading through the community, undetected and possibly through a new route of transmission. The first case of the disease in the UK was reported on May 7. The patient had recently travelled to Nigeria, from where he might have caught the virus. 

What is monkeypox?

The disease was discovered in the year 1958 from a group of monkeys, from where it got its name monkeypox.

The virus was first identified in a captive monkey. Since 1970 there have been sporadic outbreaks reported across 10 African countries.

This rare disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, but with much less severity.

It occurs mostly in remote parts of central and west African countries, like Congo and Nigeria which are near tropical rainforests.

There are two main strains of the virus - the west African, with a mortality rate of 1% and the central African with mortality rate of 10%.

The west African strain of the monkeypox virus is generally mild in comparison to the central African strain with very less mortality rate.

How the disease can spread?

Monkeypox disease can be spread when someone is in close contact with an infected person.

The monkeypox virus can enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or through the eyes, nose or mouth.

It has not previously been described as a sexually transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by direct contact during sex.

It can spread by contact with infected animals such as monkeys, rats and squirrels, or by virus-contaminated objects.

How dangerous is monkeypox disease?

Most cases of the virus are mild, sometimes resembling chickenpox, and clear up on their own within a few weeks.

Monkeypox can sometimes be more severe, however, and has been reported to have caused deaths in west Africa.

Monkeypox is similar to chickenpox but can cause mortality of one in ten patients especially younger patients.

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