Should India Fear Monkeypox?: The dangerous monkeypox virus originating from Africa has reached the neighboring country Pakistan. On August 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox as an international public health emergency. So far, 20,000 cases of this have been found worldwide and 537 people have died.
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What is Mpox, where did it originate from?
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958. At that time, two monkeys kept for research in Denmark showed symptoms of smallpox-like disease. Its first case in humans was found in 1970 in a 9-year-old child in Congo. Generally, this disease spreads through rodents i.e. rats, squirrels and male monkeys.
This disease can also spread from human to human. Its symptoms are similar to smallpox. In this, blisters or ulcers appear on the body. These can be small or big. These blisters or ulcers are filled with pus. They slowly dry up and heal. During this, fever, stiffness and unbearable pain occur.
In 2022, the World Health Organization decided that the name monkeypox was a stigma for monkeys. This virus comes from animals other than monkeys. Therefore its name was changed to ampox. Now it is called ampox all over the world.
Why has WHO declared it a global health emergency?
This is the second time since 2022 that Ampox has been declared an International Public Health Emergency. On August 15, the World Health Organization said that so far more than 20 thousand cases have been reported in Africa alone.
This disease has spread rapidly in the last few days. WHO fears that it may spread to other countries of the world. It started from the African country Congo. After this, it spread rapidly to neighboring countries. Like Corona, it is spreading to other countries through air travel and other means of travel. Ten countries of Africa are seriously affected by it.
Does India need to worry about MPox right now?
The monkeypox virus from Africa has reached neighboring country Pakistan. Currently, three cases of monkeypox have been reported in Pakistan. All three cases have been found in people who landed from international flights. It could not be ascertained which variant is present in all three.
A 34-year-old man from Mardan arrived in Pakistan from Saudi Arabia on August 3. He got tested a week later. On August 13, it was confirmed that he had monkeypox. Another has returned to Pakistan from Africa, information about the third is not known. Last year, a patient died of monkeypox in Pakistan. There is movement from Saudi Arabia and Africa to India as well. Therefore, there is a risk of monkeypox spreading in India. India has been hit by monkeypox even in 2022.
Is Mpox as dangerous and spreads as fast as corona?
No. The spread of Mpox is slow. It is not as contagious as corona. The mortality rate in this is also much lower than that of corona.
Which variant of the Ampox virus is spreading rapidly, how dangerous is it?
A new variant of monkeypox called ‘Clade Ib’ is spreading rapidly. It was originally found in Congo, Africa. Clade Ib is spreading mainly through household contacts. Often infects children. Clade IIb is the one that spread last year in 2022. This variant spreads more through sexual contacts.
This virus wreaked havoc in July 2022, affecting about one lakh people in 116 countries. Most of those affected were people from the LGBT community. It killed 200 people. Last year, 27 cases were found in India and one death occurred.
Clade Ib spreads faster and is more deadly than Clade IIb. Clade II is less deadly. It originated in West Africa. Its mortality rate is 1%.
How many days after infection does this disease spread?
The virus enters the body of a healthy person whenever he comes in contact with a patient. The virus starts acting within 3 to 7 days. People suffering from ampox are contagious. They can spread it to others until all the wounds heal and a new layer of skin is formed.
Is there any vaccine for ampox?
There is no vaccine specific for ampox. There is no vaccine or medicine available for mild cases of ampox. People recover on their own due to their immunity.
The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved JYNNEOS, also known as Imvammune or Imvanex, to treat monkeypox.
If given to a patient within 4 days of exposure to monkeypox, this vaccine can reduce the chance of infection. It can reduce the severity of the disease in the next 14 days. It has been accepted as a monkeypox vaccine in many countries.
What should I do if I or someone in my family has ampox?
The patient should be isolated. His used things should not be used. Vaccine should be administered as soon as the infection is detected. One should stay away from other people until a new layer of skin appears. There is no fixed treatment for this. That is why doctors treat on the basis of symptoms, like medicine for fever. Painkiller medicine for pain. The patient should be given a good diet so that his immunity increases and he gets cured quickly.
When did monkeypox outbreaks occur earlier?
The first human case of monkeypox was reported in Congo in 1970. It has since been reported in 11 African countries – Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.
The first monkeypox outbreak outside Africa was in the US in 2003. It spread through contact with pet dogs that were kept with rats imported from Ghana. At that time, 70 cases were confirmed in the US.
Apart from this, cases of monkeypox were found in Israel in 2018, in Britain in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022; in Singapore in 2019. All these cases had some travel history.
Can it turn into an epidemic like Corona?
According to Richard Peabody, head of WHO’s Pathogen Threat Team in Europe, monkeypox does not spread easily and currently does not cause any serious life-threatening disease. There is no need for a major vaccination like Covid-19 due to its outbreak. People should practice safe sex, take care of hygiene and wash hands regularly to prevent infection.
Experts say that there are no signs that the monkeypox virus is mutating and developing a more dangerous variant. This is not Covid. It does not spread in the air.
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