Govt issues advisory on Monkeypox
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, May 23 2022:
The state government has issued an advisory for the public in connection with a viral zoonotic disease called Monkeypox, which has been reported in 12 countries recently.
The advisory issued by national health mission, state mission director Dr Somorjit Ningombam informed that Monkeypox occurs primarily in Central and West Africa and it has not been reported in India till date.
Clinical features of the disease include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes which may lead to a range of medical complications.
It is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks, but can be severe in children and immunosuppressed individuals.
Case fatality rate may vary from 1 to 10 per cent.
The disease is transmissible from animal to humans as well as human to human.
Animal-to-human transmission occurs through bite or scratch, wild meat preparation, direct contact with body fluids or lesion material and indirect contact with lesion material.
Human-to-human transmission occurs through respiratory droplets, direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, indirect contact with lesion material, such as contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person.
An infected person may transmit the disease from a couple of days before appearance of the rash and remain contagious till all the scabs fall off.
As preventive measures, the advisory asked the public to wash hand frequently with soap and water especially after caring for or visiting sick people, not to share bedding, clothing, towels or utensils with sick people, maintain respiratory etiquette, thoroughly cook meat before eating, and avoid contact with wild animals specially those found sick or dead People with an otherwise unexplained rash and who have travelled, in the last 21 days, to a country that has recently had confirmed or suspected cases of Monkeypox should report to the nearest health facility, the advisory stated.
Mention may be made that as per World Health Organisation (WHO) report, there are so far 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases of monkeypox reported from 12 member states that are not endemic to the virus.
WHO, on May 21, warned that there will be more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not typically found.
The 92 confirmed cases are reported in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, UK and USA.
"This isn't going to cause a nationwide epidemic as Covid-19 did, but it's a serious outbreak of a serious disease -and we should take it seriously," said Jimmy Whitworth, a professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.