It is unfortunate there is a doctor suddenly left our practice recently. This put other doctors in dilemma on what to do about the patients who come under the care of the previous doctor. In our doctor meeting, we have come to a consensus about the patient care. It is decided that any doctor who retired, suddenly left or on long illness, it is best for the doctor's patients to find their own doctor whether this could be a doctor within our medical centre or with another doctor in other medical centre. 

My position is that I will only accept existing patients of Seymour Street Medical and Dental Centre on case by case basis. I am not in position to absorb all patients from other GP who retired, suddenly left or on long illness as I have a lot of my own regular patients. I am not taking any new patient who has never been seen in Seymour Street Medical and Dental Centre, Ringwood.

Please do not send any correspondence to me if I never seen you before. Any existing patient of Seymour Street Medical and Dental Centre who want to choose me to be his/her regular doctor (who never been seen by me before) will need to make an appointment to see me. Like I said before, I will only accept patient based on case by case basis.

Here is the step by step on how to claim Medicare rebate after payment for medical fees.

1. Download Express Plus Medicare from Google Play or Apple Store.

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Author:

Stuart N Isaacs, MD

Section Editor:

Martin S Hirsch, MD

Deputy Editor:

Jennifer Mitty, MD, MPH

INTRODUCTION

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic infection that results in a rash similar to smallpox. However, the person-to-person spread and the mortality from a monkeypox infection are significantly lower than for smallpox. Clinically, these two viral infections are difficult to distinguish, raising concerns that monkeypox could be used for bioterrorism [1].

This topic will review the virology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of monkeypox. Topic reviews that discuss smallpox are presented separately. (See "Variola virus (smallpox)" and "Identifying and managing casualties of biological terrorism".)

VIROLOGY

Monkeypox, an orthopoxvirus, was first isolated in the late 1950s from a colony of sick monkeys. The virus is in the same genus as variola (causative agent of smallpox) and vaccinia viruses (the virus used in smallpox vaccine). Electron microscopy of cells infected with monkeypox virus shows a brick-like virion, indistinguishable from the virions of variola or vaccinia viruses (picture 1).

Two distinct strains of monkeypox exist in different geographic regions of Africa, as suggested by epidemiologic, animal, and molecular evidence [2]. In comparison to strains isolated from Central Africa, monkeypox from Western Africa is less virulent and lacks a number of genes present in the other viral strain [2,3].

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