The health expert also stressed that he should keep a close eye on any unusual symptoms, especially those with a travel history from the monkeypox-infected countries.
“We need to observe the unusual symptoms such as high fever, many lymphadenopathies, large lymph nodes, body aches, rashes, etc., especially those with a history of travel from infected countries,” said Dr. mukherjee.
“People who witness the symptoms can be tested either by the fluid coming out of those lesions or the breath samples and places like the National Institute of Virology have the setting to test for these viruses,” she added.
She went on to say that people should not panic, but should avoid close contact with those who test positive for monkey pox.
“People should not panic about this disease, its symptoms, as it usually spreads through very close contact. There are fixed guidelines for this that have already been published from ICMR-NIV,” said the ICMR official.
She said: “Children are more susceptible to the infection. The elderly would be vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine. After the 1980s, people were not given the smallpox vaccine which gives cross-immunity to fight the infection. So the younger people will be more susceptible. The treatment is the same for both children and adults.”
This has also been reported in certain non-endemic countries, including the US, UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Canary Islands, Israel and Switzerland.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-endemic countries are the countries where the current set of outbreaks are reported, but it is the first time that chains of transmission have been reported without known epidemiological links.
A positive case is only considered if it has been confirmed for monkeypox virus (by detection of unique sequences of viral DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and/or sequencing).
Meanwhile, sources said the Union Ministry of Health will soon release guidelines on monkey pox.
The guidelines will include management principles such as isolation, contact tracing, contact monitoring, preventive measures and risk assessment.
“The guidelines will include advice for international travelers. They should avoid close contact with sick people, contact with dead or living wild animals such as mammals, including rodents and non-human primates (monkeys, monkeys), and contact with contaminated material used by sick people should also be avoided. Consult the nearest health facility if you develop symptoms similar to monkeypox such as a fever with a rash or if you have been to an area where monkeypox has been reported or if you have come into contact with a person who has symptoms of monkeypox,” the sources added.
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