What is Monkeypox and How to Get Tested?

Monkeypox, or Mpox, is a highly infectious viral disease that spreads from person to person. For years, cases of monkeypox¹ in humans occurred only in remote villages in rural areas of Africa without adequate medical staff or resources. However, monkeypox has recently spread to many other parts of the world, making it an epidemic. 

If you want to know more about the severity and dangers of monkeypox, including methods of prevention and ways to get tested, you have come to the right place. Monkeypox, while dangerous, can be prevented with proper testing and vaccination as long as you know your options.

What is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a viral disease first discovered in the late 1950s and belonged to the same family of viruses (orthopoxviruses) to which smallpox belongs. While monkeypox hasn’t been a widespread problem in the United States, it could soon become one because of how contagious and widespread it has become.

Growing concern about monkeypox has led to increased awareness, testing, and prevention of the disease. Monkeypox does not discriminate based on age, race, or gender; everyone is prone to the disease.

Monkeypox Symptoms

The tricky thing about monkeypox is that you can get exposed to the disease but not show symptoms for up to three weeks. Once you start displaying symptoms, they can last several weeks, even up to a month. Here are some of the primary symptoms and signs of Mpox.

• A rash similar to what happens with chickenpox or the shingles
• Flu-like symptoms that worsen several days after they start
• Feeling tired and exhausted all the time
• Muscle and body aches
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Chills

Except for the skin rash, many of the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of Covid and other viral infections. Therefore, rash remains the most indicative and uncomfortable sign of monkeypox. Your rash may consist of tiny blisters that gradually grow and fill with pus. As the disease progresses, these blisters eventually harden, get crusty, and fall off independently.

How is Monkeypox Transmitted?

Part of the reason that monkeypox has become so widespread is that it’s highly contagious. Monkeypox transmission is through direct contact with something contaminated with the disease. This contact may include people, animals, clothing, and other objects. Infection typically requires the person to either ingest the virus or have it enter through a cut or lesion on the skin.

Why Get Tested for Monkeypox?

If you were recently in a part of the world with a monkeypox epidemic, it’s important to get tested because you can carry the disease for up to three weeks before showing symptoms.

By that time, you may have unintentionally transmitted it to other people. While monkeypox might not be deadly or overly harmful to you, it can be fatal for people with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions. Getting tested is especially important if you’re showing signs of the monkeypox rash.

How to Get Tested for Monkeypox

If you’re concerned and want to get tested for monkeypox, you’ll have to go to a hospital, medical center, urgent care facility or call for at-home test. There, your doctor will ask questions about where you’ve been to determine if you may have come into contact with monkeypox.

If monkeypox is possible and you display symptoms and a rash, they will administer their test.

Monkeypox testing entails:

1. Your healthcare provider will take a swab and aggressively run several lesions on your rash.
2. They will send the swab to a lab for further testing.
3. In several days, you’ll know whether or not you have monkeypox.
4. In the meantime, you should avoid public areas so that you don’t unintentionally spread the disease.

The monkeypox test can be somewhat painful and uncomfortable, but it is a necessary step to stop the spread of the disease. Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider once you think you’re no longer a disease carrier. Most cases of monkeypox go away in two to three weeks.

Summary

Monkeypox has a long incubation period, so getting tested as soon as possible is vital if you suspect that you might have monkeypox to help curb the spread of the disease.

If traveling to an area with a current Mpox outbreak, you should take the necessary precautions to ensure you don’t contract the disease. These healthy precautions include consuming clean drinking water and trusted foods, regular hand washing, and upkeeping general hygiene standards during your journey. Also, consider getting the monkeypox vaccine to reduce your risk of getting infected during your trip. 

• In-Home Lab Tests
• Micronutrient Testing
• Heavy Metals Testing