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Express News Service
BENGALURU: Post-Covid-19, fear of monkeypox is on the rise. Although this is a self-limiting disease in most people, symptoms can last for two to four weeks.
Dr. Giridhar R. Babu, Professor, Head of Life Cycle Epidemiology, Indian Institute of Public Health, told The New Sunday Express that severe cases are a minor fraction and the case fatality rate is around 3-6 percent.
He also says the government is working on preparing a test kit for detection.
How serious is monkeypox?
Severe cases may occur in a minority, and the fatality rate is around 3-6%. The degree of severity depends on the degree of exposure to the virus and the person’s health. People with immunocompromised diseases are likely to be at higher risk of infection and may have complications. Children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and people with one or more complications may also be at risk.
Do you think cases are underreported because people mistake them for chicken pox?
Although there are rashes in chicken pox and measles, the pattern of occurrence and spread are distinct and different for these three diseases.
A skin rash anywhere on your body (even if it’s just 1 or 2 spots) may be the only symptom. Other symptoms include high fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and back pain.
Another distinctive feature is swollen lymph nodes, much earlier during the prodromal phase.
Symptoms usually appear 5-21 days after exposure. People should be alert and report symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, mouth sores, rash, and eye irritation or redness.
There may be small lesions at first; in the mouth or on the skin. The rash starts as a macule, papule, or vesicle, then progresses to a pustule and forms a crust. Lesions are often seen at one stage of development and are very slow. The rash will be denser on the face, palms, and soles of the feet.
How prepared is the government with monkeypox test kits?
Currently, there is no test kit validated by the ICMR or approved by the Drug Controller of India. It will take about a week to complete the validation of the test kits.
Therefore, it is not advisable to rely on tests advertised by diagnostic centers. Given the expertise and experience of how India has been able to scale up testing, I am confident that we can manage validation, clearances and scale up effectively.
What should the government do to prevent the widespread spread of monkeypox in the country?
Several measures should be taken by the Central and State Governments. These include the issuance of guidelines for the management of monkeypox by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
The center has invited vaccine manufacturers to develop a monkeypox vaccine. It also continued with the validation process for manufacturers to develop diagnostic kits.
Worryingly, for overburdened healthcare systems, a chain of pandemic attacks could lead to system collapse.
Breaking the chain at a very early stage can reduce many infections and is more cost and time efficient than starting work after it has spread to many people.
At this very early stage, health systems and governments need to take strict action on mobility, isolation and quarantine, which cannot be followed immediately in the initial stages of Covid. This will prevent the virus from spreading to the masses.
At a broader level, countries need to be constantly alert for signals related to the disease. Proactive measures related to prevention, detection and reporting are required.
What precautions should people take to prevent infection?
People with monkeypox, including accidental implantation in the eyes, mouth, or other anatomical areas, may be at particular risk.
Information and awareness about outbreaks must be used constructively to engage and empower high-risk communities and reduce stigma and discrimination.
The challenge is to eliminate misinformation and misinformation, where the public, social media companies and civil society organizations must cooperate and work with the government.
There are reports that the monkeypox virus is a variant or derivative of the smallpox virus. What are the vaccines for it?
Among the vaccines, JYNNEOS is a live vaccine produced from the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic strain, an attenuated, non-replicating orthopoxvirus. This is also known as IMVAMUNE, IMVANEX, MVA. It is indicated for the prevention of monkeypox disease in those 18 years of age and older who are at higher risk of smallpox or monkeypox infection.
The other vaccine is ACAM2000, a live viral vaccine that the FDA licensed in August 2007 and is intended for active immunization against smallpox.
According to the US CDC emergency authorization, it is useful against monkeypox during an outbreak.
Another agent, tecoxiramit, is also available for treatment; an antiviral drug indicated for smallpox disease is found to be useful in adult and pediatric patients weighing at least 3 kg.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis is vaccination for selected individuals at risk of occupational exposure to monkeypox, including research or clinical laboratory personnel and members of the healthcare team at risk of occupational exposure to orthopoxviruses.
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