• Home/
  • News/
  • ICMR Plans Sero-Survey Among Contacts Of Monkeypox Patients

News

ICMR Plans Sero-Survey Among Contacts Of Monkeypox Patients

According to WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis — a virus transmitted to humans from animals — with symptoms similar to smallpox although clinically less severe.

ICMR Plans Sero-Survey Among Contacts Of Monkeypox Patients
The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research may conduct a sero-survey among contacts of monkeypox patients to check for the presence of antibodies and find out how many of them were asymptomatic, official sources said Friday (August 19). As of now, it is not known what is the proportion of people who stay asymptomatic of the viral infection, they said. India so far has reported ten cases of monkeypox.

Also Read: COVID Patients At Higher Risk Of Psychiatric, Neurological Conditions After Two Years: Lancet Study

“We are thinking of conducting a sero-survey among close contacts of monkeypox-affected people in India to check for the presence of antibodies in them.

“The idea is to find out how many of them contracted the disease due to exposure to the infected and did not show symptoms. The discussions are at a very nascent stage as of now,” a source said.

According to WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis — a virus transmitted to humans from animals — with symptoms similar to smallpox although clinically less severe.

Also Read: WHO Announces New Names For Monkeypox Variants To Avoid Causing Offence

Monkeypox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks.

The ‘Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease’ issued by the Centre stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.

It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bushmeat preparation.

The incubation period is usually from six to 13 days and the case fatality rate of monkeypox has historically ranged up to 11 per cent in the general population and higher among children. In recent times, the case fatality rate has been around 3 to 6 per cent.

The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy. A notable predilection for palm and soles is characteristic of monkeypox, the guidelines stated.

The World Health Organisation has declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern.

Also Read: Independence Day Special: ‘Only Healthy Mothers Can Produce Healthy Offspring,’ Is The Message This Nutrition Warrior Spreads In Her Rajasthan Village

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ populationindigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (WaterSanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollutionwaste managementplastic banmanual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.

[corona_data_new]

 

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *