India’s first monkeypox case in Kerala; centre rushes team
Is like smallpox but less contagious and causes less severe illness, according to WHO
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The centre has rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Kerala to study the confirmed case of Monkeypox in Kollam district of Kerala, and take necessary steps to prevent an outbreak.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said, the team will collaborate with the state health authorities in instituting public health measures and recommend public health interventions.
The team has experts from National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi, and senior officials from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare along with experts from Regional Office of Health & Family Welfare, Kerala.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare the government is taking proactive steps by monitoring the situation carefully and coordinating with states in case of any such possibility of outbreak occurs.
Monkeypox infection resembles that of smallpox (declared eradicated worldwide in 1980) but is less contagious and causes less severe illness. Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks. Severe cases can occur. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has been around 3–6%.”
Monkeypox is transmitted through close contact with an infected person or animal, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
WHO said, vaccines used during the smallpox eradication programme also provided protection against monkeypox (85% effective), and that an antiviral agent developed for the treatment of smallpox has also been licensed for the treatment of monkeypox.
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