Government allays fears of significant mpox surge in India

NEW DELHI: India has reported 30 laboratory confirmed cases of monkeypox since January 2022: the latest being a case from the state of Kerala.

According to the sources in the Union health ministry, there hasn't been any significant surge in cases of the infectious viral disease and the future risk of surge also remains low.

Nonetheless, a senior official who did not want to be quoted said, government is mulling steps for extra-vigil in view of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recent decision to declare the infectious disease a public health emergency of international concern.

Steps being mulled include increased vigilance at airports and seaports since most of the cases reported so far had a history of travel to countries where the cases are significantly higher.

According to WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis - a virus transmitted to humans from animals - with symptoms like smallpox although clinically less severe. Monkeypox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.

It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks. The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre, in 2022 stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person.

Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation. The incubation period is usually from six to 13 days and the case fatality rate of monkeypox has historically ranged up to 11 per cent in the general population and higher among children. In recent times, the case fatality rate has been around three to six per cent. The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy.

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