Are Indians At Risk of Monkeypox Outbreak Too? Virus Spreading Rapidly In Europe, North America

Monkeypox is a virus that comes from the family of the virus that causes smallpox. It is a rare and fatal virus infection.

After the deadly COVID-19 virus outbreak, the world is now witnessing a spike in cases associated with another virulent virus known as Monkeypox. According to the current data, the virus is spreading its tentacles across the countries at a very rapid pace. On the list, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and America are the countries which have reported dozens of cases of monkeypox in the last few hours. Taking cognizance of the situation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that this virus is capable of leading another outbreak globally. Seeing the cases, what comes to the mind is are we, the Indians, safe from the virus or should we worry?

India has been through a lot lately due to the back to back spikes in COVID cases triggered by new variants of coronavirus. Most of these variants had first been reported from other countries, except a few. But eventually, the virus variants entered India and led to new surges in the cases. Therefore, it will be of no surprise to know that there are possibilities that the Monkeyvirus may also enter India and throw new challenges to the healthcare sector. Therefore, the need of the hour is to understand the virus closely and monitor the symptoms it can cause. Know how the virus transmits and what Indians can do to stay safe. Let's understand from the experts.

Monkeypox Cases On The Rise - Know All About It

Monkeypox is a virus that comes from the family of the virus that causes smallpox. It is a rare and fatal virus infection, which usually spreads through infected animals. The virus infection is so dangerous that it doesn't require any human carrier. An individual can catch monkeypox from a bite by an infected animal, or by touching its blood, body fluids, or fur. It's thought to be spread by rodents, such as rats, mice, and squirrels. It's also possible to catch the disease by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been cooked properly.

What symptoms should you look out for?

Some of the symptoms of this virus infection include - fever, chills, lessons and muscle aches.

Is there any treatment for monkeypox?

No, there is no specific treatment which can cure monkeypox. Patients who are being diagnosed with this virus are kept in separate rooms so that they don't spread the virus and some general medicines are being given to them to treat the common symptoms.

What is the incubation period?

What is the incubation period? It is the time gap between the moment you catch the virus and the day you first show the symptoms. In the case of monkeypox, the incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.