The Union Health Ministry on Monday (August 19, 2024) said the strain of monkeypox virus currently in circulation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and more than a dozen African countries is virulent and has a death rate of 3% as opposed to 0.1% from the less virulent strain. “As per our assessment the chances of its spread into India from Africa are moderate.
We are also not putting in any country-wise alert as there is no cause for alarm as of now. Hospitals and doctors, however, have been alerted that any patient coming in with symptoms must be reported immediately. India is also looking at large scale testing provisions should the need arise,” said a senior Health Ministry official on Monday, adding that there are no reported cases of monkeypox in India as of date.
He added that although the possibility of a few imported cases being detected in the coming weeks cannot be ruled out, it has been assessed that the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is presently low for India. Also read | WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for the second time on August 14, warning that the viral disease could spread quickly to new countries. The announcement was made after an emergency committee of independent experts reviewed the rapidly rising number of infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the spread of.