Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1481047
WE'RE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS with COVID yet, but a lot of focus has shifted to another infectious disease making a big impact—monkeypox. WHAT IS IT? Monkeypox is a viral infection. It is a member of the Orthopoxvirus family, along with smallpox and cowpox. The name "monkeypox" is a bit misleading. It was rst identi ed in monkeys in 1958 and in humans in 1970. But it occurs most often and, until recently, was spread to humans most easily by a variety of rodents. Animals that can carry this virus include prairie dogs, squirrels, and groundhogs, but it has also been seen in other mammals. It may a ect certain varieties of domestic rabbits, mice, Monkeypox What should you be watching for as an esthetician? by Ruth Werner 74 ASCP Skin Deep Autumn 2022 and rats. We don't know if other common household pets, like gerbils, guinea pigs, and hamsters, can spread monkeypox. Monkeypox is similar enough to smallpox that anyone vaccinated against smallpox has some limited protection from monkeypox. However, routine smallpox vaccination in the US was suspended in 1972. That means people under 50 years old probably haven't been vaccinated for smallpox, so they lack protection from monkeypox. EPIDEMIOLOGY Until recently, monkeypox outbreaks were geographically limited to Central Africa (one subtype