What You Need To Know About Monkeypox, Is The Virus Coming To NJ?

Where do I write my strongly worded letter? I would like to lodge my very real complaint to whatever or whomever in the Universe is trying to bring us down. First, a global pandemic, and now Monkeypox!?!? WTH?

I know what chickenpox is, I had them terribly when I was 8. I had them so bad my eyes were swollen shut, and they were in my throat. I was horrified and my parents were on vacation which made it even more traumatic. The babysitter never explained what was happening to me and I thought the pox all over every square inch of my body was permanent. I digress...

As awful as my childhood pox were, Monkeypox sounds way worse. Maybe that is because I'm afraid of monkeys? Think about it, they are powerful and unpredictable which is a bad combination.

Enough about my irrational fears, so what exactly is Monkeypox? It is a rare and serious virus that attacks the lymph nodes and causes an all-over rash of body pox. See? I told you.

You are sicker with Monkeypox too, it usually takes you down for at least a month. We now know of a case in Massachusetts and that is way too close to home considering it most likely came all the way from either the UK, Portugal, or Spain.

Here Are Some Things You Need To Know About Monkeypox

The good news is, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is not easy to get it. It usually gets passed through rodent bites or scratches. If there is one thing I can say that I will never do in a billion years, it is going anywhere near a rodent. So at least there is that.

You should know that the virus can also enter the body through open cuts, as well as through the eyes, ears, mouth or nose so keep those away from rodents too. This should go without saying, but don't eat rodents. I hate that someone out there actually needed me to type that last sentence out for them.

Monkeypox got its name because monkeys got this disease first, then humans. You'll usually find this disease in Western African countries, although it seems to have its eye on an American vacation. The CDC fully expects there to be more confirmed cases in the U.S. in the coming weeks.

There is no exact science to treating Monkeypox, although the same vaccine that was used to do away with smallpox, has been used to curb Monkeypox and it had some success.

I'm literally going to boil myself. Read more about it here.

Stay away from those rodents and all of these guys too!

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.