Day-by-day the first signs of monkeypox you must watch out for
PEOPLE are being urged to stay vigilant to monkeypox signs.
But it’s easy to mistake for something else, from a cold to herpes.
Monkeypox is an illness that lasts up to three weeks, causing various stages of symptoms.
If you come into contact with someone with the virus, you won’t necessarily realise that you have been infected for several days after.
You may not be wary of new symptoms and miss them entirely.
Familiarise yourself with the features of the virus - which is currently spreading among men who have sex with men - so you don’t get caught out.
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Five-seven days
The first symptoms of monkeypox appear anywhere between five and 21 days after infection, the NHS says.
But on average, people appear to get sick from day seven, according to Dr Sarah Waldman, associate professor in infectious disease at the University of California, Davis Medical Center.
She told that a study published in July suggests an average “incubation period” of seven days — though researchers still saw a range of three to 20 days.
"During this time period, someone exposed to monkeypox would not know they're sick," said Dr Waldman.
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At first, you’ll show symptoms similar to the flu.
These are:
- A high temperature
- A headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering (chills)
- Exhaustion
- Joint pain
Six to 10 days
A rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms.
Typically with monkeypox, the rash often begins on the face, then spreads to other parts of the body. This can include the mouth, genitals and anus.
Experts have said that in this outbreak, genital lesions are more common than they usually are.
And lesions tend to be grouped in one area, for example the anus.
The concern is that these symptoms are being confused for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as genital warts or syphilis, or even cold sores.
The rash can initially look like pimples or blisters and may be painful or itchy.
It will go through several stages whereby the blisters become ulcers before scabbing over.
The first stage of the rash is the macular stage, causing reddened or discoloured pimple-like spots, which at first are flat but become raised (papular).
When the bumps fill with clear fluid, this is known as the vesicular stage.
Dr William Schaffner, professor of infectious disease at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said: "In other words, you just feel generally ill.
"They're not the sort of thin blister you get from a scrape on your skin, or from chickenpox.
"These are what we call deep-seated. They're quite firm. One of the ways to describe them is rubbery. I mean, they push back on you, it's not as though they break easily—they don't."
During the pustule stage, the clear liquid inside the blisters becomes yellowish and then an indent will form in the centre (umbilicated).
This stage can last for five to seven days before the lesions begin to crust over.
14-21 days
The pustules start to turn into scabs over the next couple of weeks and healthy skin will grow on top.
When the rash is scabbing over it should be less painful than the early stages.
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The symptoms of monkeypox tend to clear up within two to three weeks all together.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention warns that monkeypox can be spread from the time symptoms start until the rash has healed, all scabs have fallen off, and a fresh layer of skin has formed.