Differences between Mpox and Chicken pox

•Mpox is different from and unrelated to chicken pox. 

•Both cause skin rash, therefore, sometimes people may confuse the two. However, persons with mpox are more likely to have swollen lymph nodes. 

•Mpox belongs to the genus orthopoxvirus while chickenpox is a herpes virus.

•Both viruses can spread through direct skin contact.

•The characteristic symptom, the rash, also act differently. Chicken pox rashes appear in waves while the mpox rash develops at the same time. 

•The mpox rash starts as flat spots which become raised bumps, get larger and appear like blisters filled with fluid. The blisters then fill with pus. Afterwards they crust over to become scabs that eventually fall off. 

•Mpox is also zoonotic. It can be spread between animals and people as well as human to human. 

•Mpox is endemic, and has been found regularly in parts of Central and West Africa. The Mpox virus has been found in small rodents, monkeys and other mammals. 

•Mpox (previously monkeypox, renamed mpox in 2022 as per the WHO naming guidelines) was first discovered in 1958 when a pox like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys under research. Due to this, it was named monkey pox although the original source remains unknown. 

•The first human case of mpox occurred in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mpox has since spread around the world. 

•The virus is in two types; clade I and clade II. 

•Clade I causes more severe illness than clade II. Clade I has recorded up to 10% mortality rate (recent outbreak has had lower mortality rate) of those who get infected and is more endemic in Central Africa.

•Clade II infection is less severe and is the type attributed to the current global outbreak (clade IIb). Clade II is more endemic in West Africa. 

|It is important to get tested for mpox to establish that the rashes are due to mpox infection. 

Mpox and HIV/AIDS

•Currently, people with HIV/AIDs are over-represented in mpox cases. 

•It is not clear whether HIV/AIDS infection increases the likelihood of getting mpox. 

•However, advanced or not properly managed HIV weakens an individual’s immunity, putting them at greater risk of severe mpox disease or death.

•It is vital for HIV patients to follow the mpox prevention guidelines so as to avoid exposure to the mpox virus including getting vaccinated (with the mpox vaccine).

•Furthermore, HIV patients should adhere to their medication to ensure they are not at greater risk of severe complications due to too weak immunity.

•Mpox vaccine has very few possible interactions with HIV medication hence can be used together with HIV medication. However, ensure you consult your healthcare provider before starting mpox treatment if you have HIV.