THE Wellish Times

Monkey pox(update)

There are about 19000-35000 monkey pox cases world wide in over 76 countries 70 of which did not have any up till now. The United States has the most cases of all the countries with over 6500+ cases quater of which have been reported in New York City, where the disease has been declared a public health threath by New York governer, Kathy Houchul. Monkey pox has been reported in the following countries:

United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands(Holland), France, Spain, Portugal, Malta, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates, Gabon, Morocco, Democratic republic of the Congo, Kenya, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Madagascar, India, Pakistan and  Australia.

Some of these countries and cases alike have not been confirmed. The graph beside only shows the confirmed ones.

‘A New Outbreak’
Monkeypox 

What is Monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with Monkeypox virus. This virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The Orthopox virus includes Variola virus (which causes Smallpox) Vaccinia virus (Used to make Smallpox vaccine) and cowpox as well.

Where does it originate from?

The origins of Monkeypox are from the Central African republics. In 1958 two outbreaks of pox like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. The first ever human case of monkeypox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (a large central African country) during the time when Smallpox was finishing.

How does it spread?

Monkeypox does not spread easily. It transmits when a person touches an infected person, animal or things contaminated with the virus. The virus comes into the body by the wounded skin (even if not visible), the respiratory tract, or the mucus membranes (eyes nose or mouth).

How to keep yourself safe?

Isolate yourself from the patient, animal or thing that is suspected to have or is contaminated with monkeypox. Practice good hygiene after touching a contaminated person, animal or thing. Lastly, avoid contact with animals that could harbor the virus including the sick ones and the animals found dead in an area where monkeypox spreads as they may be contaminated. Monkeypox can be found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Benin, Ghana (identified in animals only), Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and last of all the Republic of Congo.

How many cases are there around the world?

There are over 90 confirmed cases around the world and 28 under suspicion of having monkeypox in a dozen of countries according to the world health organization.

'Screen Time in a child's brain'

Nearly half of the children eight and under have gadgets and on average they watch them 2.25 hours a day.

So, what are the affects of all this screen time on a child’s brain?

You might have not thought about it but, data from NIH study /abcdstudy.org/  that started in 2018 suggests that children who spend more than two hours a day on screen time scored lower on language and thinking tests and a few children who spend more than seven hours a day on screen time suffered the thinning  of the cortex located in the brain, which is a critical thinking and the reasoning part of the brain.

 For children, especially under the age of three are developing quickly. Children learn by exploring their surroundings and watching and living with their parents in their childhood. Excessive screen time may restrict the ability to the everyday activities they need, to learn about the world surrounding them which leads to a kind of tunnel vision which can be detrimental to overall development.

Outside there are children walking with their parents or in their strollers with gadgets in their hands and not paying attention to anything else. This leads to them not learning about the world around them. This in term also changes of how they interact with others and how language develops.

Studies suggest that children under two years learn less from videos and more from a real live person and as it turns out children will start watching screens by the age of six months old, but will not understand the content until the age of two and that means that they are not learning from it.

Language development quickly expands at the age of one and a half to three years of age, and studies have shown that the best place children can learn language from is in fact interacting, playing and engaging with adults. Some evidence proves that children who watch a lot of television in their elementary school lack on reading and may show lack in attention as well.

 

 

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