State Health Society, Manipur on Monday alerted the people in the wake of Monkeypox cases reported from a few countries and asked persons with unexplained rashes and who have travelled in the last 21 days to a country that recently reported confirmed or suspected cases of Monkeypox to report to the nearest health facility.
In a press release, State mission director, National Health Mission Dr Somorjit Ningombam stated that Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in Central and West Africa. He also clarified that the disease has not been reported in India so far.
He stated that fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes are clinical features of the disease but may lead to a range of medical complications.
Usually, it is a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks. However, symptoms can be severe in children and immunosuppressed individuals and fatality rate may vary from 1-10 per cent, he stated.
The disease is transmissible from animals to humans as well as human to human, he further stated. An infected person may transmit the disease from one-two days before the appearance of rash and remain contagious till all scabs fall off.
He also stated that frequent washing of hands with soap and water, non-sharing of bedding, clothing, towels or utensils with sick people, maintaining respiratory etiquette, eating only thoroughly cooked meat, avoiding contact with wild animals especially those found sick or dead can be taken as preventive measures against Monkeypox.
