After Kerala reported a fresh case, bringing the state’s total to five cases, and India reported its seventh case of monkeypox, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya calmed fears in Parliament on Tuesday. Dr. Mandaviya assured that India was taking a step-by-step approach and noted that the illness “is not new.” He insisted that “there was no need to fear the virus” and added that “we are adopting the best of the learnings that were learned due to coronavirus.” Government awareness activities are being carried out.
Monkeypox is not a recent illness in India or the rest of the world. Numerous cases from Africa have spread throughout the world since 1970. The WHO (World Health Organization) has given this particular consideration. India has also begun to be monitored, he claimed.
This year, at least 75 different nations and territories have reported cases of the virus, which was previously mainly restricted to Africa. A public health emergency was recently declared by the WHO. Globally, more than 22,000 cases have been reported.
India had already begun planning when cases began to surface throughout the globe. We had sent out directives to all the states before the initial case in Kerala. The Union Health Minister told the Rajya Sabha that “we have written to the countries at the international level requesting that the screening report of the travellers should also be supplied to us.”
“Our experts have isolated monkeypox, and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also put out a call for “expressions of interest.” Based on that, scientists who step forward should be provided isolated virus so that a vaccine may be developed, much like it was done during the Covid era “Advised the upper house, Dr. Mandaviya.
The health minister advised two weeks of patient isolation and added that Kerala was receiving all the help required. A central task group has been established to research the virus. The first monkeypox death in India was also recorded from the southern state on Monday.
In terms of countries, the United States is among the worst, and Europe is the most severely afflicted continent.