Are there any treatments, preventive measures for monkeypox?

The recent monkeypox outbreak has left leading health experts across the world baffled. The disease has spread at an alarming rate and is being discovered in Europe and northern America, regions where such an outbreak is rare.

While scientists continue to comb through existing facts to determine the source of the monkeypox spread, many national health organisations have also started working on possible treatments.

Also Read: Monkeypox outbreak: 5 things to know about the disease

More than a dozen countries, including the United States, Belgium, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, have already reported confirmed monkeypox cases so far.

Is there any treatment available?

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) website says that there are “no specific treatments” available for monkeypox infections. The health agency says there are ways outbreaks can be controlled.

Countries have also started rolling out quarantine rules for those who have been infected with monkeypox. Belgium became the first country to introduce a compulsory 21-day monkeypox quarantine. The rules apply to infected individuals and those who came in close contact with them.

Are there any preventive measures?

Even though monkeypox does not have a designated vaccine, multiple countries have previously approved smallpox vaccines as a way to prevent the spread of monkeypox. The viruses that cause monkeypox and smallpox are “closely related”, which is why both vaccines work.

Also Read:WHO holds emergency meeting on monkeypox: Key takeaways

Data collected from central African regions suggest that the smallpox vaccine is at least 85% effective in preventing monkeypox. The CDC also reported that vaccination after a monkeypox exposure may help prevent the disease or make it less severe.

People usually recover within two to four weeks without needing to be hospitalised, but the disease occasionally is deadly. In recent years, the illness has been fatal in up to 6% of infections, Associated Press reported citing data from the World Health Organization.