(Illustration :Shuttershock)

“Monkeypox” Illness in Singapore is confirmed

Singapore - It is reported that this rare disease was brought by a Nigerian who arrived in Singapore on April 28. On Wednesday (08/05/2019), the 38 years old Nigerian was undergoing a medical test, and the test result was positive for contracting the monkeypox. The Singapore government confirmed this was the first case of monkeypox in the lion city as conveyed by the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) in its official statement on Thursday (05/09/2019).

However, many people still confused and curious about this disease. What is monkeypox actually? Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by a virus and transmitted to humans from animals, especially in the central and western regions of Africa. Transmission occurs when humans make close contact with infected animals, such as rodents.

Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) stated that the patient was a guest at a wedding in Nigeria before arriving in Singapore. In the event, he did not know and consumed a meat which was likely to be a source of transmission of the disease in the event. He was also stayed in a hotel before and attended a two days workshop on April 22-23 before having the symptoms.

Beside consuming infected meat, this monkeypox can spread through human-to-human transmission with respiratory tract secretions, wounds released from the body of a wounded person or objects contaminated with a patient's body fluids.

The infected person might experience fever, pain, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rashes as the symptoms of this disease that can lead to complications, such as pneumonia and in some cases lead to death.

It is important to be careful with any meat that we consume and notify the health authority in the country of origin of the workshop participant are the best ways to prevent this disease.

Source: https://internasional.kompas.com/read/2019/05/11/07294211/singapura-konfirmasi-penyakit-monkeypox-pertama-di-negeri-itu?page=2