Monkeypox spread in 75 countries and reached India: More than 11 thousand cases worldwide, 80% of patients in Europe, how much danger to India?

Posted on 16th Jul 2022 by rohit kumar

Monkeypox virus spread in more than 70 countries of the world and has knocked in India. On July 14, the country\'s first monkeypox case was reported in the Kollam district of Kerala. The patient had recently returned from UAE to Kerala. So far, more than 11 thousand cases of monkeypox have been reported in the world. Tension has increased due to the arrival of this virus in India.

 

According to the World Health Organization, chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, itching, and drug allergies are different from monkeypox. Also, there is swelling in the lymph nodes in monkeypox, while this is not the case in smallpox.

 

Its incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) is usually 7-14 days, but it can also be 5-21 days.

 

95% of monkeypox patients have a rash on the face

 

The skin rash usually appears within two days of the onset of fever. In 95% of cases, the rash mostly comes out on the face. In 75% of cases, the rash occurs on the palms and soles of the feet. Whereas in 70% of cases it affects the oral mucous membrane. Along with this, it is also seen in the eyes and private parts area.

 

The stage of skin eruption after monkeypox can last between 2 and 4 weeks. First, these grains get filled with water and then with pus, and then they get crusted. It is a very painful stage.

 

The Union Health Ministry says that patients who have pain or blurred vision in the eyes, difficulty in breathing and there is less urination, then they should be alert and isolate themselves.

 

How Monkeypox can be prevented, Health Ministry\'s guideline released

 

All health centers should keep a close watch on such people, whose rash is visible on their bodies.

Travel history of monkeypox suspected countries in the last 21 days, direct contact with any monkeypox suspect.

 

All suspected cases will be isolated at a healthcare facility until the granules peel off.

 

Fluid or blood samples of monkeypox suspected patients will be sent to NIV Pune for testing.

 

If a positive case is found, contact tracing will be started immediately.

 

Travelers coming from abroad should avoid coming in contact with people who are suffering from skin diseases.

 

Travelers should not come into contact with wild animals, living or dead, including rats, squirrels, and monkeys.

 

Avoid using products made from African wild animals such as creams, lotions, and powders. Do not eat or cook meat obtained from hunting.

 

There is an immune vaccine for monkeypox

 

The US National Health Agency Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states on its website that there is currently no treatment available for monkeypox infection, but it can be prevented with medication. There are already drugs on the market that are approved for use in the treatment of monkeypox and have been effective against the disease. For example, cidofovir, ST-246, and vaccinia immunoglobulin are used in the infection of monkeypox.

 

There is also a JYNNEOSTM vaccine available for the prevention and treatment of monkeypox, also known as Imvaimmune or Imvanex. This vaccine is made by the Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic. Previous data on its use in Africa show that it is 85% effective in preventing monkeypox.

 

What is the new pattern of monkeypox?

 

Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958. Then the symptoms of the smallpox-like disease were revealed in two monkeys kept for research. Its first case in humans was found in 1970 in a 9-year-old child in the Congo. Generally, this disease is spread by rodents i.e. rats, squirrels, and male monkeys.

 

Monkeypox and smallpox belong to the same virus family. The WHO and national health agencies around the world have decades of experience in fighting smallpox, which was declared eradicated from the world in 1980. His experience may come in handy in treating monkeypox.

 

In all these years, this disease has never gone outside Africa on a large scale, but this time cases of monkeypox are increasing continuously in developed countries without travel history to Africa. The world is terrified because of this new pattern.

 

More than 80% of monkeypox cases have been reported in Europe

This time the spread of monkeypox is very unusual, as it is spreading rapidly in North America and European countries, where the virus is not commonly found. Europe has emerged as a major center for the spread of monkeypox. So far this year, more than 80% of the confirmed cases of monkeypox have come from European countries. So far, more than 750 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 37 states of America.

 

When did the first monkeypox outbreak happen?

 

In 1970, the first human case of monkeypox was reported in Congo. It is then 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 outbreak of monkeypox outside Africa occurred in the Americas in 2003. It was spread through contact with pet dogs. These domesticated dogs were kept with rats that were imported from Ghana. Then 70 cases were confirmed in America.

 

Also in Israel in 2018, the UK in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022; Monkeypox cases were found in Singapore in 2019. All these cases had some other travel history.

 

Could this turn into a pandemic?

 

According to Richard Peabody, head of the WHO\'s Pathagon Threat Team in Europe, monkeypox does not spread easily and currently does not cause any life-threatening serious illness. There is no need for a big vaccination like Kovid-19 regarding its outbreak. To prevent infection, people have safe intimate, take care of hygiene and keep washing hands regularly.

 

The UK Health Security Agency also believes that the risk of its spread across the country is very low. Experts say that there is no indication that the monkeypox virus is mutating and developing a more dangerous variant. This is not covid. It does not spread through the air and we have a vaccine to stop it.

 

Also Read: Monkeypox: The suspected case of monkeypox found in Kerala, this person came in contact with infected abroad