Arushi Bidhuri
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Written By: Arushi Bidhuri | Updated : June 7, 2022 2:01 PM IST
After battling coronavirus for nearly 3 years, the sudden emergence of a rare disease known as monkeypox has caused widespread anxiety. Monkeypox, a virus first discovered in the late 1950s, has been detected in 30 countries throughout the world. While no deaths have been reported so far, the mortality rate for monkeypox is normally low. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) upgraded the monkeypox alert level to level 2 on Monday, advising travellers to wear masks and take other precautions.
Monkeypox cases have been increasing around the globe since March, though not to the same extent as COVID-19. According to the CDC, cases of this infection have spread to Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Over 550 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in 30 non-epidemic countries, raising concerns all across the world. Investigations are underway, but the rapid development of monkeypox in a number of nations at the same time shows that transmission may have been going on for some time, Tedros mentioned it at WHO's Geneva headquarters.
Amid the rising cases of monkeypox cases in non-epidemic countries, India is also viewing the situation as a threat to the healthcare system. In this view, the Indian government issued 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' to ensure that Indian citizens are prepared to fight the disease.
Karnataka government on Monday decided to increase monkeypox surveillance and set up a two-bed isolation facility in each of the district hospitals if cases were recorded on Monday. However, no cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in India so far.
The monkeypox virus is a slow-mutating DNA virus that is transmitted through large respiratory droplets and requires prolonged close contact with a patient. It can also be transferred through infected people's body fluids, material from within skin lesions, and contaminated clothes and linens. The symptoms can appear anywhere from five to 21 days after infection, with the person being infectious (able to spread the virus) one to two days before the skin rashes appear and lasting until they fall off.
According to the guidelines, a person suspected of having the illness must have a history of travel to the afflicted countries in the previous 21 days, an unexplained rash, and one of the other symptoms including swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, body aching, and extreme weakness. Symptoms start out mildly flu-like but quickly progress to lymph node enlargement and a rash all over the body and face. In the end, painful sores appear on the rash's surface, leaving significant scarring.
