So far three cases of monkeypox have been reported in India recently. Although experts around the world have assured that there is no reason to worry because it is not as contagious as SARS-CoV-2, the disease poses a risk to children.Also Read – Monkeypox in India: Suspected case detected in UP’s Auraiya; On Delhi Airport Alert | Live updates
Dr. Piyush Ranjan, Department of Medicine, AIIMS told ANI, “Monkeypox is less contagious but can be fatal in children. Covid-19 infection has high transmissibility, but monkeypox infection occurs after prolonged exposure to an infected person. Therefore, the infection rate in Covid is very high, and an infected person can infect many. But monkeypox is less contagious. Also Read – Monkeypox: Tamil Nadu strengthens surveillance at international airports
Symptoms of monkeypox
Explaining the symptoms in detail, Dr. Ranjan said that the symptoms of monkeypox are similar to chickenpox and smallpox. “Initially, patients will have fever and enlarged lymph nodes. After 1-5 days, they may report a rash on the face, palms, and soles. They may have spots in the cornea that lead to blindness. Also Read – 1st monkeypox case in Delhi: Govt instructs hospitals to report suspected cases, guidelines issued
How to prevent monkeypox in children?
The CDC recommends the tacovirimate or TPOXX vaccine for children under eight years of age in the US. The vaccine is also available in India, but so far the government has not recommended giving the virus to children, according to a report CNBC TV 18.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it has put the South East Asia region on alert and advised appropriate measures to prevent the spread of monkeypox.
WHO South-East Asia Regional Director Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh said, “The region is on alert for monkeypox, countries are taking steps to quickly detect and take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of monkeypox.”
“WHO supports Member States in the region to strengthen their capacities to assess monkeypox risk and prepare for and respond to evolving multi-country outbreaks,” she added.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus that spreads from animals to humans) with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients in the past, although it is clinically less severe.
Monkeypox is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or through material contaminated with the virus. It is usually a self-limiting disease with symptoms lasting two to four weeks, WHO said.
Monkeypox virus is spread from person to person through close contact with contaminated materials such as wounds, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and bedding.
As reported by WHO, from 1 January 2022 and 22 June 2022, a total of 3,413 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox and one death have been reported to WHO from 50 countries/territories.
Most of these cases have been reported from the European region (86 percent) and America (11 percent). This points to a slow but steady increase in the prevalence of cases globally. This is the first time that cases and clusters have been reported together in five WHO regions, given that WHO has assessed the overall risk of global spread of cases as “moderate”.
