News Highlights
The first known lab-confirmed case of Monkeypox in India has been reported in a 35-year-old man in Kerala, who reached the state capital three days ago from the UAE.
Monkeypox
- Monkeypox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus.
- It can spread from animals to people since it is a viral zoonotic infection.
- It may also be passed from one individual to another.
Agent and Host
- Agent: Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to Poxviridae family
- Host: Natural reservoir is yet unknown. However, certain rodents (including rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice) and non-human primates are known to be naturally susceptible to monkeypox virus.
Symptoms
- Common symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, back discomfort, lack of energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
- A rash that can continue for two to three weeks develops as a result of or in conjunction with this.
Can people get seriously ill or die ?
- Symptoms typically disappear on their own in a few weeks.
- An infection, however, can sometimes result in serious health issues or even death.
- It can cause more severe symptoms and even death in newborns, children, and persons with underlying immune weaknesses.
Transmission
- Person to Person
- Close contact with someone who has a monkeypox rash, such as by face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, allows the disease to spread from person to person.
- The virus can also pass from a pregnant person to the foetus, from a newborn to a parent through intimate contact.
- Animals to humans
- When a person comes into contact with an infected animal. Primates and rodents are examples of animal hosts.
Can monkeypox spread from human to animal?
- Although no cases of humans spreading to animals have been recorded, it is a possibility.
Is there a vaccine against it?
- Yes. A vaccine was recently approved for preventing it. Many years of research have led to the development of newer and safer vaccines for an eradicated disease called smallpox, which may also be useful for monkeypox.
- While the smallpox vaccine was shown to be protective against monkeypox in the past, current data on the effectiveness of newer smallpox/monkeypox vaccines in the prevention of it in clinical practice and in field settings are limited
What is the treatment ?
- Patients should avoid scratching their rash and take care of it by washing their hands before and after handling the lesions and by keeping their skin dry and uncovered.
Pic Courtesy: The Hindu
Content Source: The Hindu