CURATED BY – YASHPAL SINGH JAT | CITYCHIEFNEWS

Anuppur, Health Department has issued guidelines for control and prevention of monkeypox disease. The Health Department has informed that the World Health Organization has declared monkeypox disease as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 11 August 2024. Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease found mainly in the tropical rain forest areas of Central and West Africa. A patient infected with monkeypox usually has fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. Some patients may have medical complications. Monkeypox is a self-limited infection, the symptoms of which usually disappear in 2-4 weeks. The mortality rate in severe cases is 1-10 percent.
The monkeypox virus can spread from animals to humans and from humans to humans. The virus enters the body through breaks in skin, through respiratory tract or mucous membranes (eyes, nose or mouth). Transmission of the virus from infected animal/wild animal to human can occur through bites, scratches, direct or indirect contact with body fluids and wounds (such as contaminated bedding). Human-to-human infection/transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets, usually through prolonged close contact. The virus can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids/wounds and through indirect contact with wounds, such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to those of smallpox. The incubation period of monkeypox is usually 7-14 days, but it can range from 5-21 days and the person is usually not contagious during this period. The infected person can spread the disease up to 1-2 days before the rash appears. The patient can remain infectious until the scabs fall off from all the rashes.

As per the guidelines of the Health Department, suspected cases (patients) of monkeypox disease will be isolated in designated health facilities. The patient will be discharged from the health institution only when a new layer of skin forms on all the wounds or when the treating doctor decides to end the isolation. In case of a positive case of monkeypox disease, instructions have been issued to identify the persons who came in contact with the patient in the last 21 days by contact tracing.