Amid concerns over monkeypox, Jalandhar's pvt hospitals on alert

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, June 8

With the outbreak and rising cases of monkeypox in various countries in the world, the district health authorities have been issued an advisory to track suspected and probable cases of the disease in the district. Though no suspected monkeypox case has been reported in the state so far, all private health establishments have been asked to report even suspected monkeypox cases which are reported to them.

The health authorities have received a detailed pro forma as per which reporting of symptoms, suspected cases and probabilities related to the disease have to be reported.

About monkeypox

• It is a viral zoonotic disease, the first human transmission of which was recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. It primarily occurs in tropical rainforest regions of Africa
• It is an infectious disease
• Its symptoms last two to four weeks (12 to 28 days)
• The fatality rate of monkeypox is about 3 to 6 per cent

How it is transmitted

• Human to human (through droplet infection, direct contact and indirect contact)
• It can be spread through close contact with an infected person
• It can be spread through close contact with bodily lesions, body fluids or garments, materials contaminated with these lesions or fluids of infected person
• It can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets
• Animals to human (through animal bites, scratches, undercooked meat of infected animals like rats, monkeys, rodents, apes, etc)
• Typical symptoms of the disease are headaches, body aches, weakness, fever, swollen lymph nodes and rashes (usually begin from face and spread to hands)

As per the pro forma, information has to be shared regarding the number of suspected cases reported in the district, cases confirmed by labs, the travel history of the suspects and close contacts.

The countries from where monkeypox cases have been reported globally so far included the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Israel, the UAE, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, among others.

As per health experts, there are two kinds of cases in which the possibility of monkeypox is being watched — suspected and probable. Suspected cases included those with a travel history (in the past 21 days) from any of the countries where monkeypox cases have already been reported, along with a display of its symptoms.

Probable cases include those with an epidemiological link (a background of having direct physical contact or exposure to a suspected and/or confirmed monkeypox patient).

Even as no such case has been reported in the district or state yet, advisories have been issued to all private hospitals and SMOs for a continuous scrutiny of such cases.

Epidemiologist, Jalandhar, Dr Aditya Paul said, “So far, no monkeypox suspected or probable case has been reported in the district. But advisories have been issued to all private hospitals and SMOs as well as in-charges of subdivisional hospitals. Hospitals have especially been instructed to watch out for symptoms reported in any person with a travel history from a country where the disease has been reported. The disease shows many similarities to smallpox. However, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. Hence, its vaccinations were also stopped back then. Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox. But smallpox vaccine is 85 per cent effective against monkeypox. However, precautionary measures are being taken as the vaccines were stopped decades ago hence people are not protected against the virus.”

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