India's 4th Monkeypox Case: Symptoms, Jabs And Global Outbreak Explained

Delhi reported its first monkeypox case today- fourth in India with the previous three cases reported from Kerala- as a 31-year-old man with no foreign travel history was diagnosed with the viral disease.

The monkeypox outbreak, which the World Health Organisation has termed "unusual" has affected nearly 17,000 people in 74 countries with the UN health agency sounding its highest alarm, calling the infection's spread "a global health emergency" yesterday.

"The global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Although, WHO said that as per its assessment the threat of monkeypox spread is moderate globally, the risk is very high in Europe.

The "alarming" 2022 Monkeypox outbreak

Monkeypox, which was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, is endemic in humans in nine African countries but this year's outbreak reflects its spread in non-endemic countries, thereby signifying increased community transmission of the infection.

"We have never seen an outbreak like this. It is indeed alarming," WHO expert Dr. Rosamund Lewis said earlier in a video shared by the world health body.

Moderate or not?

The initial symptoms of monkeypox include a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a blistery chickenpox-like rash. In some cases, patients may also suffer from muscle ache, lesions, and chills. Most of the infected persons do not become seriously ill because of which the virus has a fatality ratio of three to six percent. Recovery time to full health for a monkeypox patient can be within three to four weeks.

The disease has, therefore, in most of its assessments been regarded as "moderate" by the World Health Organisation.

Jabs to the rescue?

WHO has not recommended mass vaccination against the spreading virus, but in May this year the United States began to administer smallpox vaccines, which are considered effective against monkeypox.

Amid escalating case numbers, the European Union has recommended smallpox vaccine- Imvanex- to be authorised against monkeypox. 

Are you at risk?

Patients at high risk include young children, pregnant women, and those who are immunosuppressed or with severe or complicated infections, WHO has said adding that newborns of infected mothers should be constantly monitored, and infant feeding practices should be assessed on a case-by-case basis.