The situation with the monkeypox virus is creating worldwide panic. The World Health Organization has announced it as an international health emergency. This highly infectious virus has already infected nearly 100,000 people across the globe, killing over 200 according to the official data from the WHO. In India, 30 cases of monkeypox have been reported, after which a few pharmaceutical companies have started developing vaccines to fight the disease. Serum Institute of India, on Tuesday, said it was developing a vaccine against monkeypox and the product could hit the markets shortly as research was at an advanced stage.
According to Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute, “In light of the WHO declaring a health emergency due to the outbreak of monkeypox, urgent research on the virus is underway. Optimistic to introduce the vaccine soon, hopefully within a year to public view; in view of the threat to millions of lives, we are working urgently on finding a cure.”
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The first case of monkeypox was reported from India in 2022. As of March 2024, there have been a total of 30 cases. Stringent monitoring by the Indian Ministry of Health at international airports and other transit points has been embarked on. Three hospitals—Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College—have identified special treatment facilities for monkeypox. These hospitals have set up nodal centers for the isolation, case management, and treatment of monkeypox patients.
What is Monkeypox?
It is caused by a virus, and it means that, together with direct contacts between people, there is also transmission from proximity to an infected person. There is a very low possibility of acquiring this disease from contact with the object that an infected person uses. The virulence was first isolated in 1970 from Congo, Africa. Still, in 2022, it spread vastly, and according to this potential surge, WHO renamed the disease as “Mpox” and described the illness in July 2022.
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An infected person develops, on his hands, rashes, which last up to two weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, pain in the neck and back, tiredness, and swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, chest, and lower back. The rashes eventually become pustules and spread to the hands, feet, and genital area. For some, early treatment can resolve the symptoms within two to four weeks, but because of its rapid spread, the government is treating it seriously.
Globally, there have been 99,136 cases of monkeypox, with 232 deaths reported. Cases have been identified not only in Congo, Africa, but also in Pakistan, Sweden, the Philippines, and India.
