GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd August. With monkeypox cases on the rise in the country, the Union Health Ministry issued a list of dos and don’ts on Wednesday to help people avoid contracting the disease.
It also emphasised that anyone who has had prolonged or repeated contact with an infected individual can contract the virus.
The ministry recommended isolating the infected person from others to prevent the disease from spreading, using hand sanitizers or washing hands with soap and water, covering the mouth with masks and hands with disposable gloves when near a patient, and using disinfectants to sanitise the environment.
Don’ts state that you should avoid sharing linen, bedding, clothes, and towels with people who have tested positive for the infection.
The ministry advised not washing soiled linen or laundry from patients and non-infected people together, and to avoid public events even if you only have symptoms of the disease.
“People who have contracted the virus, as well as suspected patients, should not be stigmatised. Furthermore, do not believe any rumour or misinformation,” it stated.
Meanwhile, a monkeypox task force has been formed to closely monitor the emerging situation in the country and decide on response initiatives to combat the disease’s spread.
It will also advise the government on the expansion of diagnostic facilities in the country and investigate emerging trends in disease vaccination, according to official sources.
Monkeypox was recently declared a global public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to smallpox but clinically less severe.
Monkeypox typically causes fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, and it can lead to a variety of medical complications. Typically, it is a self-limiting disease with symptoms lasting two to four weeks.
According to the Centre’s ‘Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease,’ human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.
It can also be transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids or lesions, as well as through indirect contact with lesion material, such as contaminated clothing or linen from an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission can occur through the bite or scratch of infected animals or through the preparation of bushmeat.
The incubation period for monkeypox is typically six to thirteen days, and the case fatality rate has historically ranged up to 11% in the general population and higher in children. In recent years, the case fatality rate has hovered between 3 and 6%.
Lesions typically appear one to three days after the onset of fever, last two to four weeks, and are often described as painful until the fever subsides.
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