People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue.
That marks a significant departure from the disease's typical pattern of spread in central and western Africa, where people are mainly infected by animals like wild rodents and primates, and epidemics haven't spilled across borders. Last week, a top adviser to WHO said the outbreak in Europe, U.S., Israel, Australia and beyond was likely linked to sex at two recent raves in Spain and Belgium. “You may have these lesions for two to four weeks (and) they may not be visible to others, but you may still be infectious,' she said. She also warned that among the current cases, there is a higher proportion of people with fewer lesions that are more concentrated in the genital region and sometimes nearly impossible to see. Monkeypox is known to spread when there is close physical contact with an infected person or their clothing or bedsheets.
“It is not yet known whether this virus is exploiting a new mode of transmission, but what is clear is that it continues to exploit its well-known mode of transmission, which is close, physical contact,” Lewis said.
