I want to know why the disease that is currently ravaging Africa is called Monkeypox.
Angela (by SMS)
The disease is so called because it was first discovered in a colony of research monkeys. These animals were being used for research on the polio vaccines. The outbreak of a pox-like disease in these monkeys occurred 50-60 days after the monkeys arrived, which means the animals did not get sick in Africa. The monkeys were injected with penicillin and streptomycin on arrival. The monkeypox symptoms were a generalized petechial rash, while the general health of the animals appeared unaffected.
The first human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Congo during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. There have been outbreaks in Africa, over the years.
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