Monkeypox
What does Declaring an Emergency for Global Health Mean?
Declaring a global emergency means the monkeypox outbreak is an “extraordinary event” that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response.
About the disease:
- Monkeypox is not a new virus.
- Belongs to the poxvirus family of viruses.
- First identified in monkeys way back in 1958.
- The first human case was described in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Since the transmission occurs only with close contact, the outbreaks have been in many cases self-limiting.
- The incubation period ranges from five to 21 days and is often mild or self-limiting.
- Asymptomatic cases could transmit the disease unknowingly.
- While monkeys are possibly only incidental hosts, the reservoir is not known.
- The rate of mutations in the monkeypox virus is significantly lower (~1-2 mutations per year) compared to RNA viruses like SARS-CoV-2.
- There are two distinct clades of the virus — the Congo Basin/Central African clade and the West African clade.
- Smallpox/vaccinia vaccine provides protection.
- Younger individuals are unlikely to have received the vaccine and are therefore potentially susceptible to monkeypox. Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox.’
- Monkeypox virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
Why did cases first surface in Kerala?
• Four international airports.
• A sizeable expatriate population.
• Globally favored travel destination.
• The patients themselves had approached the doctors/authorities.
• Increased public awareness.
• Social commitment of the people.
What are the steps being taken by Kerala?
1. Public health message.
2. Public needed to be vigilant.
3. As soon as the patient was isolated, close contacts were also isolated.
4. Contact tracing was also drawn up.
5. The contacts were put on symptom surveillance for 21 days and the respective districts were asked to monitor them closely.
6. Setting up of State and district-level monitoring cells.
7. All districts were asked to strengthen field-level surveillance of cases with fever and rashes along with one or more of these symptoms — enlarged lymph nodes, headache, body ache, and profound weakness.
8. Help desks were set up at all airports.
Other states and Way Forward:
1. One case of Monkeypox has been documented in Delhi.
2. A signal to other States to strengthen their surveillance networks, especially surveillance among travelers.
3. States will have to focus on creating more awareness about monkeypox and its transmission dynamics among the public
4. While airport surveillance has a huge role, monkeypox has a long incubation period and it is possible that some passengers who may have been infected, may develop symptoms only much later.
5. The biggest issue is that the cases are Asymptomatic.
