VIJAYAWADA: In view of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring monkeypox as a global health emergency in view of a surge in cases, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Andhra Pradesh unit, urged the State government to take precautionary measures.
In a press release, IMA-AP president Dr CS Raju said that as per the WHO statistics, a total 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been identified in 75 countries and there were five deaths.
In India, so far four cases of monkeypox have been detected with the latest one being reported in New Delhi.According to Dr Raju, the disease causes a rash that turns to lesions filled with fluid or pus. Like other members of the pox family, like chickenpox and cowpox, it can leave permanent scars.
The WHO says that smallpox vaccines are about 85 percent effective in preventing monkeypox. Vaccines specific to monkeypox are in short supply. It doesn't spread anything like COVID or respiratory viruses, and usually people who get this infection actually have pretty obvious symptoms.
The symptoms usually last for two to four weeks and can include fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, back and muscle pain, lack of energy, and the lesions for which it is named.
In Africa, it mainly spreads to people from infected wild animals like rodents, but its emergence in Europe and North America has seen it spreading among people with no links to animals or recent travel to Africa, Dr Raju said.
Emphasising the need for taking precautionary measures, the IMA state chief advised the State government to start screening international travellers at the airports, procure monkeypox vaccines from Australia and prohibit pet animal transport from foreign countries.
He wanted the State to alert the medical and health department, and arrange isolation wards for monkeypox suspects in every district hospital in the State. He stressed on the need to create awareness among medical and nursing staff, besides vaccination especially for those people who did not get vaccinated for smallpox in childhood.