Monkeypox is just like any other sexually transmitted infection, says infectious disease expert Dr. Ishwar Gilada.
Mumbai: Monkeypox is a disease caused by the Monkeypox virus. It is a viral zoonotic infection, which means it can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread from person to person. The monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as the variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox. Its symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms but milder, and it is rarely fatal. Monkeypox is not related to chickenpox.
The first case of the Monkeypox virus was registered in India’s Kerala, two others were found and then a case of monkeypox has been detected in Delhi being the fourth case, crucially, this is the first case in which the patient has no history of international travel. Dr. Ishwar Gilada who is an infectious disease expert and consultant for HIV/STDs spoke about it.
He stated that the smallpox vaccination program ended in India around 1979 and people who have been vaccinated against smallpox have approximately 85% protection against the Monkeypox virus and the rest are protected against the severity of the disease. Therefore, people over the age of 42 are fairly well protected in India and elsewhere.
Not everyone under 42 needs a smallpox vaccine. It should be a targeted vaccine only for people who are exposed to getting the risk of the virus.
“Currently, nearly 99% of cases are men having sex with men and around 80% of cases occur in Europe, followed by the United States, Canada, and Australia. Monkeypox is mainly transmitted through close or very close personal contact, ”says Dr. Ishwar Gilada. It is very clear that almost 98% to 99% of males are at risk of Monkeypox whereas 1% are female.
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The World Health Organization on Saturday,23 July declared the outbreak of Monkeypox virus as a global health emergency because of the surge, which has affected nearly 16,000 people in 72 countries.
Dr.Gilada who was attending a conference informed about vaccine.The Montreal City Department of Health has a smallpox vaccine and it’s free to anyone who believes they are at risk of developing monkeypox, including those attending the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal on July 29.Bavarian Nordic is another licensed smallpox vaccine that uses a modified Ankara MVA dry powder vaccine that can be easily transported and reconstituted in the country of use. Currently the US has this.
Dr. Gilada further informed that, in the current scenario, “ring” vaccination of people around people infected with the monkeypox virus reduces the spread of the disease, especially when there is a severe global shortage of smallpox vaccines. It can be effective. This is called “ring vaccination”. Supply is only 1-2% of world demand. That is why for some weeks now he has been asking the Indian government and Indian vaccine manufacturers to start producing smallpox vaccines.
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