Skin rashes and fever, common symptoms of both monkeypox and chickenpox, have caused confusion among people, although doctors have insisted that patients differ in the way symptoms of both viral diseases appear.
He has also advised to consult a doctor to clear any doubts.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (virus transmitted from animals to humans) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in patients with smallpox, although it is less severe clinically.
Ramanjit Singh, Visiting Consultant, Dermatology, Medanta Hospital said that in the rainy season, people are more prone to viral infections, and cases of chickenpox along with other infections are also seen extensively, with symptoms like rashes and nausea. also appear.
“Due to this condition, some patients are getting confused and misinterpreting smallpox with monkeypox. Patients can determine whether they have monkeypox or not by understanding its sequence and onset of symptoms,” Singh said.
Elaborating further, he said that monkeypox usually begins with fever, malaise, headache, sometimes sore throat and cough, and lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) and all these symptoms are followed by skin lesions, rashes and other problems within four days. The first appear which start mainly in the hands and spread to the eyes and the whole body.
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Other experts agree and say that apart from skin involvement, there are other symptoms in case of monkeypox, but it is always better to consult a doctor to clear any doubts.
In some of the recently reported cases, two suspected cases of monkeypox turned out to be chickenpox.
A suspected case of monkeypox, admitted with fever and sores at Delhi’s LNJP Hospital last week, tested negative for the infection but was diagnosed with chickenpox. Similarly, an Ethiopian national who had gone to Bengaluru was tested after he showed symptoms, but his report confirmed that he had chickenpox.
So far, four cases of monkeypox have been reported in India from Kerala and one from Delhi.
Dr. Satish Kaul, Director of Internal Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said, “In monkeypox, the lesions are larger than in chickenpox. In monkeypox, the lesions appear on the palms and soles. In chickenpox, the lesions tend to constrict on their own after seven to eight days. But this is not the case in monkeypox. In chickenpox the lesions are vesicular and itchy. In monkeypox the lesions are extensive vesicular and non-itchy.” Kaul also said that the duration of fever in monkeypox is long and the lymph nodes are enlarged in such a patient.
Elaborating on the virus that causes chickenpox, Batra Hospital Medical Director Dr. SCL Gupta said that chickenpox is an RNA virus which is not that serious, but it also causes skin rashes.
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“It is chickenpox season. Usually during monsoon it is moisture, rise in temperature, water logging, moisture and wet clothes, all of which lead to the growth of the virus.
“Besides this, there is also a religious aspect attached to the disease. People treat it like a ‘Goddess’ and hence such patients are not treated with any kind of medicines. They are kept in isolation and given time to recover,” he said.
Talking about monkeypox, Gupta explained that such a virus requires an animal host, but it is self-limiting with sore throat, fever and signs of normal virus.
“The main sign of this virus is rashes on the body with fluids inside. This leads to viral infection which weakens the body’s immunity. But problems arise because of its complexity. In this case, any bacterial infection becomes more pus and leads to blisters causing further complications in the body.
“Right now, monkeypox is in its teens. We don’t have proper treatment. We are only following the method of isolation and treating the suspected patient according to his symptoms. In case of throat infection, we use generic medicines which we usually take. So, here it is a matter of symptomatic treatment,” he said.
Doctors have also received questions about whether a previous chickenpox infection makes a patient immune to monkpox, the answer to which is an emphatic no.
Read also | Suspected case of monkeypox turned negative in Delhi
Dr. Rajinder Kumar Singhal, Senior Director and HOD, Internal Medicine, BLK Max Hospital, New Delhi said that both are caused by different viruses, mode of transmission is different, and previous infection does not ensure any protection against new does.
But people who have been vaccinated against smallpox are less likely to get monkeypox, he said.
The World Health Organization stated that the disease was completely eradicated around 1979-80, after which the smallpox vaccine was discontinued. People born before 1980 who have received the smallpox vaccine are less likely to get monkeypox. Smallpox and monkeypox are both caused by viruses from the same family,” Singhal said.
Because of this similarity between smallpox and monkeypox, many countries have allowed ‘small pox’ vaccines but this is still not allowed in India.
“The virus is in its juvenile stage and doctors are still tracing it,” Gupta said.
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