This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. A leading doctor who chairs a World Health Organization expert group described the unprecedented outbreak of the rare disease monkeypox in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by risky sexual behavior at two recent mass events in Europe.
Highlights
- Health Ministry of India will soon be releasing guidelines on monkeypox
- So far, no cases of Monkeypox have been detected in India till May 25
- India needs to be prepared in view of increasing reports of cases in non-endemic countries
The Union Health Ministry will soon be releasing guidelines on monkeypox. So far, no cases of Monkeypox have been detected in India till May 25.
However, India needs to be prepared in view of the increasing reports of cases in non-endemic countries, sources told news agency ANI.
This has been also reported in certain non-endemic countries including the USA, UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Canary Islands, Israel, and Switzerland.
WHO take on Monkeypox cases:
According to World Health Organization (WHO), non-endemic countries are those wherein the present series of outbreaks are being reported, but it is for the first time that chains of transmission are being reported without known epidemiological links.
A positive case will be considered only if it is confirmed for the monkeypox virus (by detection of unique sequences of viral DNA either by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or sequencing).
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The guidelines will include principles of management like isolation, contact tracing, contact monitoring, preventive measures, and risk assessment.According to the sources, the Union Health Ministry will also issue an advisory for international passengers.
“The guidelines will include the advisory for international travelers. They should avoid close contact with sick people, contact with dead or live, wild animals such as mammals including rodents and non-human primates (monkeys, apes), and contact with contaminated materials used by sick people should also be avoided. Consult the nearest health facility if you develop symptoms suggestive of monkeypox like fever with rash or in case you were in an area where Monkeypox has been reported or in case you came in contact with a person who has symptoms of Monkeypox,” added sources.
(With ANI inputs)
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