WHO declares Mpox as a public health emergency | Covid-like pandemic back? Experts say ‘We should be worried…’

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently confirmed that Mpox will continue to be classified as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) due to a rise in cases and the virus's ongoing spread across regions. 

The ‘high alert’, first declared in August 2024, was renewed on November 23, following a meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee, according to Reuters.

Monkeypox: Should India be worried?

Speaking to LiveMint, Dr. Arun Gupta, President of the Delhi Medical Council, said there is significant worry regarding the spread of the disease. “ Yes we should be worried. In this era of people moving fast across the globe chances of spreading infections across the countries is very high,” Dr. Gupta told Mint, noting that a ‘high degree of alertness’ was required for people coming from abroad.

On September 8, 2024, the first case of Mpox in India was suspected in a young male patient who recently travelled from a country currently experiencing Mpox transmission.

Dr. Anant Bhan, a public health researcher from Bhopal, advised that countries like India should keep a close watch on any cases which emerge due to people arriving from aboard. “ MPox has caused a global outbreak in 2022, so a close watch on current trends is needed, but the possibility of turning into a ‘pandemic’ seems to be low at this point of time,” Dr. Bhan told Mint.

Monkeypox or COVID-19: Which is more fatal

Mpox is less fatal as compared to COVID-19, but there are high chances of Monkeypox spreading globally, further noted experts. Speaking to LiveMint, a consultant physician from Kolkata, said, “As with all zoonotic diseases(transferred from animals), there is a strong possibility that this disease may spread globally.”

The possibility of human-to-human respiratory spread of the virus (which was seen with Covid-19), however, appears to be low, the doctor said.

Another specialist doctor also said that Mpox is not as fatal as COVID-19 was. If 100 people are diagnosed with Monkeypox, then three to six people can die, she said.

Monkeypox: What health bulletins say

According to a bulletin released by the National Centre for Disease Control(NCDC), India, Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms like smallpox, with less clinical severity.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the first time in July 2022, second in August 2024.

Monkeypox : Symptoms similar to Chickenpox?

Once an individual contracts Mpox, visible symptoms develop within a period of 14 days (incubation period). Temperature, headache, fatigue, and often, lymph node enlargement in the neck and armpits are the most common symptoms during the initial one to four days, said the consultant physician.

Severe symptoms, such as skin lesions, appear later on. These lesions are blisters that appear similar to chickenpox and appear over the face, trunk, arms, and legs, varying in number from a few to a thousand. What makes Monkeypox lesions distinguishable from chickenpox is that the lesions mostly occur on the palms and soles.

In rare cases, skin lesions affect other areas, such as the genitals, or are associated with oral ulcers (pharyngitis) and conjunctival damage.

Lesions also appear on the genitals with painful lymph node swelling in the groin, further added the physician.

Monkeypox: How to prevent

Speaking about how one can take precautions against Mpox, the consultant physician said Mpox is spread mainly through skin-to-skin contact. "One should avoid close contact and particularly sexual contact with a person with Mpox,” said the doctor.

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