We all chuckled in the middle of the pandemic when people were sharing the memes about stepping into a real-life game of Jumanji and wondering what was coming next. If we only knew then what we know now. The game isn't ending. At least not anytime soon.

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Two years after the start of the downfall of life as we once knew it, none of us are laughing anymore. Silly memes are irritating now. Half of the world is over whatever this is, the current situation that we're living through and the other half of the world is still afraid to set foot outside of their home. 100 percent of the world is united in wishes for no more health concerns and for a solution to ever-rising inflation.

The last few years have seen some strange things. Really strange things. UFOS, bat eating, mystery seeds from China, animals stealing COVID blood sample vials, random monoliths popping up, bird flu, and now...monkeypox. Someone make it stop!

Monkeypox is a nasty booger of an illness, one that a person wouldn't even wish on their own worst enemy. The illness causes fever, body aches, enlarged lymph nodes, and eventually "pox," which is a kind way of describing painful, fluid-filled blisters on a person's face, hands, and feet.

Until now, monkeypox was an illness not experienced in the United States, but it's found its way here and it is contagious. While your chances of contracting it are very slim, it's just one more thing to heap on our existing plate of anxiety.

How Does a Person Get Monkeypox?

According to the CDC, "Transmission of monkeypox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus." Basically what that means is that the virus can enter your body through your eyes, nose, or mouth - in other words, in order to get it super close contact or the sharing of bodily fluid is necessary.

What Are the Symptoms Of Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is kind of like smallpox (which was eradicated in 1980) except it's not quite as awful. While both share almost all of the same symptoms the main difference is that monkeypox makes a person's lymph nodes swell and smallpox does not. The good news, if you can call it that, is that monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and in most cases is less severe.

Is There a Cure for Monkeypox?

No. There is no proven cure for the monkeypox virus. The CDC says that the smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin can all be used to control an outbreak, but there is no cure.

What Animals Carry Monkeypox?

According to the World Health Organization, the animals capable of transmitting monkeypox include "rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, non-human primates, and others."

What Is the Survival Rate for Monkeypox?

Worldwide, monkeypox is deadly in 3 to 6 percent of cases and the death rate is less than 1 percent in areas where there is access to quality healthcare.

 

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