Thirty non-endemic countries have reported more than 550 confirmed cases of monkeypox, said the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adanom Gebreyesus.
“Investigations are ongoing, but the sudden outbreak of monkeypox in many countries at the same time suggests there may have been an undiscovered transmission for some time,” Tedros told reporters at WHO headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday.
As most of the reported cases were sexual intercourse between men, these communities work to inform their members about the risks and preventive actions that can be taken.
“But we all need to work hard to combat the stigma, which is not only wrong, but can also prevent infected people from seeking care, making it difficult to stop the transmission,” the WHO chief warned. to extend their observation to the wider community.
Everyone is at risk of becoming infected if they have close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox. Tedros noted that as the situation develops, the WHO expects more cases to be detected.
“It is important to remember that, in general, the symptoms of smallpox go away on their own, but in some cases they can be severe,” he added.
The WHO continues to receive updates on the status of continuing outbreaks of monkeypox in African countries where the disease is endemic.
The WHO senior official outlined his priorities for providing accurate information to the most vulnerable; prevent further spread among high-risk people; protection of health workers on the first line; and to improve “our understanding” of the disease, the UN said in a statement.
In light of the growing reports of monkeypox (MPX) in non-endemic countries, the Indian Ministry of Health has been proactive on Tuesday and issued Guidelines for the Management of Monkeypox to ensure preparedness across the country.
“No cases of monkeypox have been reported in India to date,” a statement from the Ministry of Health said. According to the guidelines, a confirmed case has been laboratory confirmed for smallpox virus by detecting unique viral DNA sequences or by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and / or sequencing. ” Pune), targeted through the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) network of the region / state concerned, “it said. in the guidelines. Guidelines for the management of smallpox disease include the epidemiology of the disease (including host, incubation period, period of infection and mode of transmission; contact and case definitions; clinical characteristics and its complication, diagnosis, case management, risk communication, guidelines for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), including the use of personal protective equipment. ” Explains Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), home IPC, patient isolation and ambulance transfer strategies, additional precautions to take care of, and length of isolation procedures, “he said. According to the guidelines, contacts should be monitored at least daily and the appearance of signs / symptoms for a period of 21 days from the last contact with the patient or his contaminated materials during the infectious period. Raising awareness of risk factors, the guidelines further explain in detail how to raise awareness and educate people about measures against the monkeypox virus, avoid contact with any material of the sick person, isolate the infected patient from others, practice good hygiene on the hands and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in patient care.
The ministry also said that monkeypox has been reported as endemic in several other Central and West African countries, such as Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone. However, cases have also been reported in some non-endemic countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Israel, Switzerland and others.
(Only the title and photo of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated by a syndicated channel.)
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