Virologist explains why monkeypox patients get boils on their genitals
A top virologist shed some light on why monkeypox patients develop pus-filled cysts on their bodies, especially in the genital area.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Dr Yong Poovorawan said the disease had first surfaced in Africa, where it was transmitted to humans from animals like rodents. The disease was then spread among humans via direct contact or the respiratory system.
The disease can enter the bloodstream and lymph nodes via a scratch on the skin, and patients can develop fever, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes.
After that, the patients develop cysts on the external parts of their body like arms, legs and head before it spreads to the torso.
Yong said 98 per cent of monkeypox patients found outside Africa are men, and 40 per cent developed boils on their genitals or nearby.
Recent studies show that monkeypox is most often transmitted sexually, and Dr Yong said that though most patients are male adults at present, the disease will soon spread to women and become difficult to control in the future.
However, he said, it is still 100 times more difficult to contract monkeypox when compared to Covid-19, so only people in high-risk groups will be infected in the early phase.
