Monkey Pox declared as ‘Public Health Emergency’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the global monkey pox outbreak a 'public health emergency of international concern' (PHEIC).

• On January 30, 2020, WHO had categorised COVID-19 as a PHEIC, when about 7,500 cases of novel coronavirus were reported.
• And on March 11 2020, the agency elevated it to 'pandemic.'
• Now the Monkey pox has declared as PHEIC by WHO.
• Monkey-pox (MPX) was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkey-pox.’
• The first human case of monkey-pox was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970.
• Recently, an ongoing outbreak of the viral disease monkey-pox was confirmed in May 2022.

About

• A PHEIC is an ‘extraordinary event’, which constitutes a public health risk to other States through the international spread, and which potentially requires a coordinated international response.
• International Health Regulations Emergency Committee is made for scrutinizing the global situation.
• The responsibility of declaring an event as an emergency lies with the Director-General of the WHO and requires the convening of a committee of members.
• PHEIC comes below the Pandemic situation, declared as a global health concern.

What is Monkey Pox?

• Monkey-pox (MPX) is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity.
• It is a potentially serious viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes, and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over.
• Illness could be confused with a sexually transmitted infection like syphilis or herpes, or chickenpox.

Mode of transmission:

• Human-to-human transmission is known to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.
• It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person.
• The disease goes through four different phases.
• The first invasion period, which is between 0-5 days, is characterised by fever, headache and lymph node swelling.
• The swelling of the lymphnodes is one of the characteristic features of monkey pox and is not observed in similar rash causing diseases like measles and chickenpox.

What causes monkey-pox?

• It is a rare disease that is caused by infection with the monkey-pox virus.
• This virus belongs to the Ortho-pox-virus genus.
• It includes the variola (smallpox) virus as well as the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine.

What is the mandate to declare a PHEIC?

• Rising numbers and evidence of person-to-person transmission in a handful of cases outside of China.
• Greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it.

India’s situation

• The first case of monkey pox was confirmed in India after a person who had returned to Kerala from UAE developed symptoms of the disease. His samples were sent to National Virology Institute in Pune which confirmed the disease.