With India Reporting 1st Case of Monkeypox, Southeast Asia on Alert For Virus: WHO

New Delhi: As India reported the first case of monkeypox from Kerala’s Kollam district, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday said Southeast Asia was on alert for the virus. The level of risk for the region’s 11 countries including India as for the world was moderate, the global body said. The first case of monkeypox in WHO South-East Asia Region is a 35-year-old man who arrived in Kerala from the Middle East earlier this week.Also Read – Covid Deaths On Rise Again Globally, Be Prepared For More Waves: WHO Chief Scientist

“The region has been on alert for monkeypox. Countries have been taking measures to rapidly detect and take appropriate measures to prevent spread of monkeypox,” said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia. In view of the limited testing capacities in the Region for monkeypox, WHO has coordinated with four laboratories to serve as referrals – National Institute of Virology, India; Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Australia; National Institute of Health, Department of Medical Sciences, Thailand; and Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Also Read – India Confirms First Case of Monkeypox in Kerala, Centre Rushes High-level Team to Take Requisite Health Measures

“Monkeypox requires collective attention and coordinated action to stop its further spread. In addition to using public health measures and ensuring health tools are available to at-risk populations and shared fairly, it is important to work with communities to ensure that people who are most at risk, have the information and support they need to protect themselves and others,” Singh added. Also Read – Monkeypox: Centre Writes To States, Directs To Screen and Test All Suspect Cases At Point Of Entry | Guidelines Here

Monkeypox virus and cases around the world: 5 points to know

1. Over 6,000 cases of monkeypox and three deaths have been reported from across 60 countries since the beginning of the year. More cases can be expected as surveillance expands, the WHO noted.
2. Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-tohuman transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets.
3. The WHO had convened a meeting of the Emergency Committee on June 23 to seek expert advice if the ongoing outbreak was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
4. The committee had recommended intense response to curtail the spread of the ongoing outbreak, in view of low population immunity against pox virus infection and risk of further sustained transmission into the wider population.
5. The next meeting of the Emergency Committee has been convened on July 21 as the disease spreads, including to non-endemic nations.

(With inputs from ANI)