What the article is about:
- The article talks about monkeypox outbreak and ways to deal with it.
Relevance:
- GS2: health
- Prelims: General science
Analysis:
- A virus belonging to the poxvirus family causes a rare contagious rash illness known as monkeypox.
Origin of disease:
- central and Western Africa, close to tropical rainforest.
Symptoms:
- swollen lymph nodes, fever, chill, headache, muscle or back aches,and weakness.
How does it spread:
- touching skin lesions, bodily fluids, prolonged face to face contact with the infected person, sexual or intimate contact are the most common modes of transmission.
- It does not spread from person to person contact through everyday activities like walking next to infected person.
Preventing spread:
- its critical to isolate the infected person, avoid close physical contact, use masks, precautions like washing hands and distance and prevent the spread.
Treatments available:
- in US pre exposure vaccine for health care workers JYNNEOS is available.
- ACAM2000 is a another vaccine with live virus.
- Tecovirimat , an antiviral drug is recommended for monkeypox.
What can be done:
- there is need to examine if a newer variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2 can emerge due to their interaction.
- Priority should be given to educating grassroots workers about the disease.
- Public awareness to reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis.
- Promoting preventive health measures.
- The immediate priority is to strengthen the surveillance infrastructure including hiring public health professionals and field workers.
Why so many zoonotic diseases are spreading at once:
- are caused by various factors like unchecked deforestation, climate couples with a failure to prioritise public health, poverty and climate change.
Conclusion:
- mechanism for initiating contact tracing, quarantining exposed people, and isolating infected people should be institutionalised. There is need to prioritise public health strengthening to prevent new and re-emerging infectious diseases.
