As more cases of monkeypox are reportedly detected in Europe and North America, some scientists who have monitored numerous such outbreaks in Africa say they are baffled by the unusual spread of the disease in developing countries. It is learnt that in the past week, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, US Sweden and Canada have detected the virus mostly in young men who hadn’t travelled to Africa. France, Germany, Belgium and Australia have confirmed their first cases of monkeypox. Monkeypox typically causes fever, chills and lesions on the face and the genitals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the disease is fatal for about one in ten infected persons. WHO estimates that there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen African countries every year. The disease is endemic in Africa. It is understood that the first known human infection was detected in 1970 in a 9-year-old boy in a remote part of Congo. Monkeypox is a virus that originates in wild animals like rodents and primates and occasionally infects people. It is understood that the smallpox vaccine can help guard against the monkeypox as the viral infection is similar to smallpox. The infection can be passed from humans to humans through close contact or by using clothes or linen used by a person having monkeypox. However, the good news is that the infection does not spread easily between people. However, India needs to be vigilant against this virus, especially with regards to those coming in from Africa.
