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Contents
Source: The post is based on an article “Monkeypox & Human Folly” published in the Times of India on 27th July 2022.
Syllabus: GS 3 Disaster Management
News: Recently, over 16,000 cases of Monkeypox were reported from 75 countries. Therefore, the WHO has declared Monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
About Monkeypox Disease
The WHO declared it PHEIC despite non-recommendation by an expert committee constituted by the WHO to study it. For example, 9 members voted against and 6 voted for the declaration.
What were the arguments of members who voted against the declaration of a PHEIC?
Don’t stigmatise gay men: Most of the recent spurt of cases involved human-to-human transmission. This was mainly found among males who have sex with males (MSM). Therefore, such a declaration would precipitate panic and create a stigma against this vulnerable population by labeling it as a gay disease.
Why was monkeypox declared as a PHEIC despite a weak vote?
The declaration was an indication of the challenges that may mount up. It was an alert to governments to prepare a health system response that combines prevention, surveillance, treatment, and risk communication.
Apart from the MSM-related transmission, there were other cases of human-to-human transmission. For example, in the US and Europe, a few children have been infected through household contact.
There can be zoonotic transmissions in the present age of globalization. The virus responsible for monkeypox has been found in several mammals like squirrels, mice, rats, rabbits, American prairie dogs, and of course, monkeys. In fact, Squirrels is a more frequent source of zoonotic transmission than a monkey. For example, the 2003 outbreak of monkeypox in six US was due to mammals (mostly rodents) imported from the West African nation of Ghana.
What public health measures should be taken by the government of India?
(1) The health systems need to be on alert. There should be effective surveillance, testing, isolation of cases, and risk communication to the public.
(2) Smallpox vaccine can be used. It is effective in providing up to 85% cross-protection. It should be considered for unvaccinated persons. Persons at high risk of infection or severe disease should be prioritized first. Further, persons who are below 45yr of age who would not have received the smallpox vaccine, after it was eradicated should be vaccinated.
(3) The government should do domestic production and stockpiling of tecovirimat, an antiviral drug developed for smallpox treatment.
(4) Stigma and discrimination of any kind against MSM person should be avoided. India can use extensive experience from the HIV-AIDS programme.
