About 80 cases of measles have been confirmed in 11 countries, the World Health Organization said in late May 2022. They warned that more cases would probably be reported. What is this rare and not very well known disease?

How common are monkey pox?

Measles is caused by the measles virus, a member of the same family of smallpox viruses, although they are much less serious.

Experts say that the chances of a person becoming infected with them are very small.

They occur mainly in remote parts of Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.

There are two main strains of the virus - West African and Central African.
Two infected patients in the UK have arrived from Nigeria, so it is very likely that they have the West African type of the virus, which is usually mild but not yet confirmed. The third case was a health worker who contracted the virus from one of the patients.

The four most recent cases - three in London and one in the north-west of England - have no known links or travel history so they are thought to have been infected with the virus in the UK.

The UK Health and Safety Agency says anyone suspected of being infected should see a doctor, but call a health center or clinic first to make an appointment.

The virus has also been reported in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the United States and Canada.

What are the symptoms?

The initial symptoms are: fever, headache, swelling, back pain, muscle aches and general malaise.

When the temperature drops, the patient may develop a rash, usually first on the face and then spread to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms and soles of the feet.

The rash, which can be extremely itchy, changes and goes through different stages before it finally forms a scab, which later falls off. Lesions can leave scars.

The infection usually goes away on its own and lasts between 14 and 21 days.
How are they transmitted?
Measles can be transmitted when someone comes in close contact with an infected person.

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

It has not previously been described as a sexually transmitted disease, but it can be transmitted through direct sexual contact.

It can be transmitted through contact with infected animals such as monkeys, rats and squirrels or through objects contaminated with the virus, such as bedding and clothing.
How dangerous are they?
Most cases of the virus are mild, somewhat measles-like, and go away on their own within a few weeks.

However, smallpox can sometimes be more serious, and there have been reports of it causing death in West Africa.

How common are epidemics?

The virus was first identified in captive monkeys, and sporadic outbreaks have been reported in 10 African countries since the 1970s.

An epidemic broke out in the United States in 2003, for the first time the disease was reported outside Africa.

Patients became infected with the disease through close contact with prairie dogs that were infected by various small mammals imported into the country.

A total of 81 cases have been reported, but none have ended in death.

Nigeria experienced the largest epidemic ever recorded in 2017, approximately 40 years after the country had its last confirmed case of measles.

There were 172 suspected cases of measles, and 75 percent of the victims were men between the ages of 21 and 40.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for monkeypox, but the epidemic can be stopped by preventing infection.

The measles vaccine has been shown to be 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox and is still sometimes used for this purpose.

Should we be worried?

Experts say we are not on the brink of a national epidemic, and according to England's public health, the risk to the public is small.
"Experts say that smallpox infection does not spread easily among humans and that the overall risk to the public is very low."