How Does Monkeypox Spread?: Health Ministry's "Know How" Video

There has been a growing call for swift action action to stop the spread of of monkeypox since the World Health Organisation declared it a global health emergency last month. Now, the Health Ministry has shared a video on Twitter, explaining how monkeypox can spread from one person to another.

“Monkeypox is primarily transmitted when an individual has prolonged/repeated contact with an infected person, according to the ministry. It spreads through:

1. Direct physical contact: Contact with bodily fluids or lesion material.
2. Indirect contact: Through contaminated clothing or linen of affected person
3. Large respiratory droplets as a result of prolonged close contact.”

The tweet also contains a report that talks about the guidelines for the management of monkeypox disease.

As per the report, “Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity.” It was first discovered in 1958 in colonies of monkeys that were part of a research project, lending the disease its name.

“The first human case of monkeypox was reported from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970,” the report said, adding that the first case of monkeypox outside of Africa was reported in the United States of America in 2003.

Following this year's outbreak of Monkeypox in the United Kingdom and Europe soon after, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global emergency. India has reported as many as nine cases of monkeypox so far.

As per the USA's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus. If someone has flu-like symptoms, they will usually develop a rash 1-4 days later.”

The illness typically lasts for two to four weeks and in addition to the rash, other symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, body aches, headache and respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion.