The Chandigarh health department issued an advisory for Monkeypox (Mpox) on Saturday, clarifying that no case has been reported in India and so there is no need for panic.
Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral infection which can spread between people, mainly through close contact, and occasionally from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox.
A viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa, Mpox is usually a self-limiting disease (gets better without treatment) with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.
The World Health Organization, which declared Mpox a global health emergency last week, said it is not another Covid-19 as much is already known about the virus and the means to control it.
Suspected cases include people with an otherwise unexplained rash who have travelled, in the last 21 days, to an affected country that had recently confirmed or had suspected cases of Mpox or contact with a person or people with confirmed or suspected Mpox.
Mpox is diagnosed by PCR test for monkeypox virus (MPXV) on a viral swab taken from one or more vesicles or ulcers. There are 22 labs for Mpox in India and there are 13 buffer labs, with PGIMER, Chandigarh, being one of them.
Dos and don’ts
If anyone has a fever, headache, muscle ache, rash (on the face, feet, genitalia or perianal), swollen lymph nodes, they must self-isolate and get a check-up done at the nearest health facility.
Practice good hand hygiene after contact with infected animals or humans.
If anyone has travelled to Monkeypox-affected countries, they must self-isolate in a separate room away from family and pets for 21 days, and watch for symptoms. In case of symptoms, report to a doctor.
Avoid close contact with people having fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes or those who have travelled to and come back from countries where cases of monkeypox have been reported.
‘No cause for worry’
Dr Suman Singh, director of health services, UT, said, “There is an isolation ward at GMSH, Sector 16, and the advisory has been issued as a precaution so people can be aware. There is no cause for worry, as PGIMER has a lab for testing facilities for Mpox.”
Dr PVM Laxmi from department of community medicine and public health, PGIMER, said all hospitals in every state had been asked by the government to be prepared for Mpox cases, though no cases had been reported in the country.
Rohit Malhotra is a medical expert and health journalist who offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. His articles aim to help readers lead healthier lives.
