The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an alert for doctors to watch for signs and symptoms of a severe form of the virus. Mpox (monkeypox) which is spreading in Africa. This came after the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet that he will convene a group of advisors to determine whether the monkeypox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.

Tedros said the committee will meet as soon as possible. There has been a significant increase in the number of ampox cases in central and eastern Africa. Cases of the strain, called clade 1, have not been reported outside of central and east Africa, the CDC said in its alert. However, due to the risk of additional spread, the agency is advising physicians in the U.S. to consider ampox in patients who have recently visited or stayed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or a neighboring country (Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, or Zambia). Symptoms of AmpoxAccording to a report by NBC News.

The mpox strain that is spreading in Africa is different from the strain that will circulate globally in 2022. The strain that is spreading now is known as Clade I, which has a very high case fatality rate. The CDC divides mpox viruses into two categories, “Clade I and Clade II. Clade I types of mpox viruses have a case fatality rate of about 10%. Infections in the 2022-2023 outbreak are from Clade II, or more precisely, Clade IIb. Infections from Clade IIb are rarely fatal.”

Ampox, also known as monkeypox, is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a zoonotic disease and hence can spread from animals to humans. It was first discovered in monkeys and hence the name monkeypox.

Ampox usually causes a painful rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever. Although most people recover from the condition, some can become very ill. The virus spreads from person to person through touch, kissing or sex. From animals, however, it is usually spread by hunting, skinning or cooking them. It can also be spread through contaminated sheets, clothing or needles, and from infected pregnant mothers to their unborn babies.

Signs and symptoms of ampox

Symptoms of infection usually begin within a week, but can start 1-21 days after exposure and they last for 2-4 weeks, but may last longer in a person with a weakened immune system. Here, take a look at some of the common symptoms of mpox, according to the WHO.

• rash
• Fever
• sore throat
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• back pain
• Low energy
• swollen lymph nodes.

For some people, the first symptom of ampox is a rash, while other people may have different symptoms at first. The rash begins as a flat sore that turns into a fluid-filled blister and may be itchy or painful. As the rash heals, the sores dry out, form a scab and fall off.

Some people may have one or a few skin lesions and others may have hundreds or more. They can appear on any part of the body, such as:

• palms of the hands and soles of the feet
• Face, mouth, and throat
• groin and genital area
• Anal.

Some people also have painful swelling of the rectum or pain and difficulty urinating. Children, pregnant people, and people with weakened immune systems are at risk of complications from ampox.

People with ampox can become very ill, the WHO says. For example, the skin can become infected with bacteria leading to abscesses or severe skin damage. Other complications include pneumonia, corneal infection with loss of vision; pain or difficulty swallowing, severe dehydration or malnutrition due to vomiting and diarrhea; sepsis (infection of the blood with a body-wide inflammatory response), inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), heart (myocarditis), rectum (proctitis), genital organs (balanitis) or urethra (urethritis) or death.

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