As Delhi Reports 9th Monkeypox Case, Dr. Sunil Raina from World Health Network Explains How To Curb The Disease Effectively

The 9th case of Monkeypox has been reported from the capital of the country, which has called for stricter precautionary guidelines to counter the disease. Besides, the government and authoritative public health bodies are upgrading the advisories and alerts regularly. It hasn't been a year since the country started to fight back against the consequences of covid-19. In such a scenario, the fear of combating a new pandemic has left the population worried.

However, according to the experts, the disease may not be as worse as covid-19 at least in terms of sudden impact. In most of the cases, It's a self-limiting viral infection, and it is largely transmitted by close contact like mouth-to-mouth, skin-to-skin, or sexual contact with an affected person. Given the nature of the disease, as observed till now, men are more likely to catch the infection than women. Even the global reports state that the disease has disproportionately been reported among men.

According to Dr. Sunil Raina, departmental head of community medicine (Dr. R.P Government Medical College, Tanda, India), as of now, monkeypox cases are currently loaded in favor of male gender. Though some cases have been reported in children and women, they are much less in proportion. Fortunately the disease is preventable and the impact can be limited. Dr. Raina shares some vital ones.

"With a few simple measures, we can prevent the disease. Therefore, there is no reason to panic. In fact, the chances of disease reaching its most severe form in all cases it is found in is limited with the type of variant of the disease in circulation at this time and neither is there a huge chance of a fast-spreading nationwide pandemic. The virus is not unknown or new. It has been in existence for quite some time now. The incubation period of the virus ranges from 6-13 days, and its symptoms may include lesions that start appearing within 1-3 days from the fever onset. The asymptomatics have historically not transmitted the disease unlike Covid-19 for example." - says Dr. Raina.

According to his recommendations, skin-to-skin contact with people who have developed monkeypox or similar rashes should be avoided. Besides, contact with materials and objects used by an affected person is also not recommended. Furthermore, a proper handwashing and sanitization routine is essential. Animals like primates and rodents may spread the virus. Thus, avoid close contact with them if suspected of infection.

The government has already outlined effective community prevention measures for preventing undesirable scenarios. The center has built a task force responsible for monitoring the cases closely and preparing definitive reports.

This task force will be led by the secretary of the Union Health Ministry and Niti Aayog. Besides, it will house a number of other eligible members. Research is going on rapidly for launching vaccines dedicated to monkeypox.

A ray of hope has already emerged from the National Institute of Virology, as they have announced the successful isolation of the virus from the clinical specimen of a patient. On top of all, a multidisciplinary team has been deployed to control the outbreak. The Indian Council of Medical Research has trained selective diagnostic labs across the country so that they can detect the virus in its early stage.

"The relief is, monkeypox is a notably less infective virus. Thus, observing the principle of precaution and staying alert may help curb it at its best" - Dr. Raina. Dr. Sunil Raina is an adept community medicine expert with extensive experience in the field of public health. He is a member of the World Health Network - a multidisciplinary global network of experts who advise policy makers and the community with realistic strategies for combating and removing highly contagious diseases like coronavirus, monkeypox, etc.

To spread general awareness, World Health Network has started updating its official website with the necessary guidelines, suggestions, press coverages, and alerts. They strive to help people know how to stay safe without being bothered about the rumors. Dr. Sunil Raina and the entire team of World Health Network are working rigorously to defeat this disease and create a healthy and better world.