Nagpur: India has reported four Monkeypox cases for the first time in its history. Until Tuesday, three cases had been detected from Kerala and one from Delhi.
Is India prepared to tackle the Monkeypox virus?
Before moving ahead, we need to understand what monkeypox virus is. Monkeypox is considered to be a zoonotic disease and is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents. Human-to-human transmission is also possible.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency on Sunday.
Can Monkeypox be passed on from person to person?
Yes, the virus is transmissible from person to person through:
- Any close physical contact or towels used by someone with monkeypox blisters or rashes
- This includes sexual contact, kissing, cough, sneezes, even holding hands
- Touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone infected with virus
- Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals like small mammals, including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes) or through bush meat preparation.
What are the symptoms caused by monkeypox virus? - High temperature
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering
- Exhaustion
- Rashes usually appear 1 to 5 days after first symptoms
Medical director of Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Dr Suresh Kumar has advised people to “exercise caution, wear face masks, and maintain social distance to prevent the transmission of the virus.”
The Centre has released guidelines to check the virus spread in India, including those at the entry points to the country. International passengers have been advised to avoid close contact with sick persons, dead or live wild animals, and others.
They have also been advised against eating or preparing meat from wild game or using items such as powders and lotions, derived from wild animals from Africa.
