27 June 2022 1 Min Read
PODCAST: How monkeypox spreads, when to test and why people over 42 may be protected
The smallpox vaccine provides 85% protection against infection with monkeypox, but South Africa stopped vaccinating people against smallpox in 1980, so only people of 42 and older who got vaccinated will have that protection
in News & Fox by Mia Malan and Danny Booysen
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The most telling symptom of monkeypox is blisters on your skin and it can take two to four weeks to recover. Most people recover without the need for treatment. The same type of lab test is used to confirm Covid and monkeypox (PCR). But where nasal swabs are taken as samples to test in the case of Covid, swabs from the blisters that form on your skin are used for monkeypox.
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This story was produced by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism. Sign up for the newsletter.