According to official sources, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) may conduct a sero-survey among contacts of monkeypox patients to check for the presence of antibodies and determine how many of them were asymptomatic. The proportion of people who remain asymptomatic of the viral infection is unknown at this time, they said.
India so far has reported ten cases of monkeypox. “We are thinking of conducting a sero-survey among close contacts of monkeypox-affected people in India to check for the presence of antibodies in them. “The idea is to find out how many of them contracted the disease due to exposure to the infected and did not show symptoms. The discussions are at a very nascent stage as of now,” a source said.
About the Monkeypox
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to smallpox but clinically less severe. Monkeypox typically causes fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, and it can lead to a variety of medical complications. Typically, it is a self-limiting disease with symptoms lasting two to four weeks.
According to the Centre’s ‘Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease,’ human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets that require prolonged close contact. It can also be spread through direct contact with bodily fluids or lesions, as well as through indirect contact with lesion material, such as contaminated clothing or linen from an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission can occur through the bite or scratch of infected animals or through the preparation of bushmeat.
The incubation period for monkeypox is typically six to thirteen days, and the case fatality rate has historically ranged up to 11% in the general population and higher in children. In recent years, the case fatality rate has hovered between 3 and 6%. Lesions typically appear one to three days after the onset of fever and last two to four weeks. They are often described as painful until the healing phase, when they become itchy. According to the guidelines, monkeypox has a distinct preference for the palms and soles.
Monkeypox has been declared a global public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization.
