Monkeypox Virus Outbreak: experts say ‘No Need To Panic’

Experts believe that currently there is no need to panic as the virus seems less severe and nobody can predict a pandemic. Union Health Ministry has also given calls to NCDC and ICMR to keep a close watch as cases of Monkeypox spread to 11 countries.

Dr. Ishwar Gilada, a world-renowned HIV expert who is credited with putting India on the global AIDS control map, said on Saturday that further research is needed into the monkeypox pandemic that has been sweeping Europe and America.

Gilada emphasized that no one can predict when a virus will become a pandemic. He mentioned the case of the coronavirus, which went from Wuhan, China, to the rest of the world, halting it for two years.

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“No one can say for a fact that a virus will become pandemic. Especially after Covid, which traveled from one small city to the world, halting it for two years. But there isn’t a need to panic. Need is to study”, Gilada said to news agency ANI.

NCDC and ICMR to keep a close watch

Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister, has ordered the National Center for Disease Control. And the ICMR to keep a careful eye on the situation. The World Health Organization (WHO) has forecast a monkeypox outbreak. The United Nations Health Organization summoned an emergency conference to investigate a new virus that the UKHSA warned was spreading among gay men.

WHO confirmed 80 cases of monkeypox in 11 countries so far. “There are about 80 confirmed cases so far, and 50 pending investigations. More cases are likely to be reported as surveillance expands,” it added.

According to the WHO, monkeypox is endemic in specific animal populations in several countries, resulting in epidemics among locals and visitors on occasion. The WHO has stated that they are investigating the unusual disease to determine its scope and aetiology.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted from animals to humans) with symptoms that are strikingly similar to those seen in smallpox patients in the past, however it is less severe clinically. Fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes are common symptoms of monkeypox, which can lead to a variety of medical issues.