11 people who came in contact with monkeypox patient isolated in Kerala

Around 11 people who came in contact with the 35-year-old man who contracted monkeypox have been isolated in Kollam. The man landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport from Dubai on July 12. He had then taken a taxi from the airport to Kollam. The 11 people isolated include his family members, the taxi driver, an auto driver who ferried the man to a hospital.

The Kerala government has also said that others who were on the flight will be alerted. When the patient developed the symptoms he was taken to a hospital at Kollam and from there he was shifted to the Trivandrum Medical College hospital where he is under close observation.

"There need be no cause of worry as everything is under control and the incubation period is 21 days. The Health Department is fully geared to handle this," Health Minister Veena George said.

According to The Conversation, Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease – it’s caused by a virus transmitted from animals to humans. The virus was first identified in Denmark in 1958 during an investigation into a pox-like disease among monkeys. Hence its name. The natural host of the virus remains undefined. But the disease has been reported in many animals including squirrels, rats, mice and primates.

Monkeypox can easily be confused with other rash illnesses such as smallpox, chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, syphilis, and medication-associated allergies.

In the early stage of the disease Monkeypox can be distinguished from smallpox because the lymph gland gets enlarged. A laboratory test is needed for a definitive diagnosis.

The disease can cause the death of one out of 10 infected people and can spread very quickly. The symptoms (fever, malaise, and headache) of Monkeypox are more severe than those of chickenpox.

The other reason for concern is that there is no specific treatment or vaccine available for Monkeypox infection. In the past, the anti-smallpox vaccine was shown to be 85% effective in preventing Monkeypox. But smallpox has been eradicated so the vaccine isn’t widely available anymore. Nevertheless outbreaks can be controlled.

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Kerala to collaborate with the state health authorities in instituting public health measures in view of the confirmed case of monkeypox. The Central team includes experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), a doctor from RML Hospital, New Delhi, and a senior official from Ministry of Health & Family Welfare along with experts from its regional office. The team will take stock of on-ground situations and recommend necessary public health interventions. The state Health Department will work closely with the central team.

The ministry asked states to increase surveillance on monkeypox disease which has been reported in many countries across the world. The ministry in a letter said that continued expansion of spread of the disease globally calls for proactive strengthening and operationalisation of requisite public health actions for preparedness and response against the disease in India.

The Centre, in the letter, said that orientation and regular re-orientation of all key stakeholders including health screening teams at points of entry, disease surveillance teams, doctors working in hospitals about common signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, case definitions for suspects, probable or confirmed cases should be carried out.