Monkeypox outbreak: India to screen arrival for virus signs, isolate sick patients; details here

Monkeypox outbreak: As the new Monkeypox disease makes its way into the global community with WHO confirming cases being reported in 11 European countries, India has increased its vigil about the rare viral disease. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently directed the National Centre for Disease Control and the ICMR to keep a close watch on the situation, PTI reported quoting official sources on Friday. The Union health ministry has also directed airport and port health officers to be vigilant, they said."The Union Health Minister on Thursday directed the National Centre for Disease Control and the ICMR to keep a close watch and monitor the situation in India,” the official added.

"They have been instructed that any sick passenger with a travel history to Monkeypox-affected countries be isolated and samples sent to the BSL4 facility of the National Institute of Virology in Pune for an investigation," an official source said.

In humans, the symptoms of Monkeypox are similar to but milder than those of smallpox, however, cases of Monkeypox have been reported in the UK, the USA, Portugal, Spain, and some other European countries.

What is Monkeypox

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. The virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

According to the WHO, Monkeypox typically manifests in humans with fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.

It can also take a severe form, with the WHO saying the case fatality ratio has been around 3-6 per cent in recent times.

The clinical presentation of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox, the WHO says.

Transmission of the disease can also occur via the placenta from mother to fetus (which can lead to congenital Monkeypox) or close contact during and after birth, the world health body says.

While close physical contact is a well-known risk factor for transmission, it is unclear at this time if monkeypox can be transmitted specifically through sexual transmission routes, according to the WHO.

Can Monkeypox turn into another Covid-19?

Scientists feel that the monkeypox outbreak will not evolve into a pandemic like Covid-19 as this virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.

Fabian Leendertz, a researcher at the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, described the outbreak as an epidemic.

(With PTI inputs)