VK Paul Taskforce on MonkeyPox

The Union government has formed a task force headed by Dr. VK Paul, a member of NITI Aayog in the wake of rising Monkeypox cases in India.

About Monkeypox:

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family of viruses that causes smallpox.

Occurrence of Disease:

The infection was first discovered in the year 1958
The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Symptoms:

Monkeypox begins with a fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, and exhaustion.
It also causes the lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenopathy), which smallpox does not.
The incubation period is usually between 7-14 days but can range from 5-21 days.

Transmission:

Zoonotic disease: It is a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans.
Human-to-human transmission is limited and the overall risk to the general public is very low.
Transmission can be through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.

Prevention:

There is no safe, proven treatment for monkeypox yet.
The WHO recommends supportive treatment depending on the symptoms.
Awareness is important for the prevention and control of the infection.

Monkeypox has been reported as endemic in several other central and western African countries such as Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone.

However, cases have been also reported in certain non-endemic countries e.g. USA, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Australia, Canada, Austria, Israel, Switzerland, etc.

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