As World Health Organisation designated Monkeypox as Global Health Emergency, it has emerged that the disease is most prevalent among gay men. While initial reports suggested that the virus can be transmitted to humans through a person, animal, or any material which is already infected by the virus, WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stated that the disease has only been reported in men who have sex with other men, particularly those who have multiple sexual partners.
While declaring the disease as global health emergency, Dr. Tedros had said. “For the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners. That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups.”
The U.N. health agency said that while cases have so far been concentrated primarily within gay and bisexual communities, there is little evidence to suggest that the disease will remain confined to those groups.#NewsMo #MonkeyPox #WHO | @milan_reports pic.twitter.com/9SAvLMMtjo
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) July 27, 2022
Concerning the communities further who have sex with men, Dr. Ghebreyesus directed the affected countries to work for the health and dignity of the affected communities. “It’s therefore essential that all countries work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect the health, human rights, and dignity of affected communities”, he said.
He also said that the stigma and discrimination could be as dangerous as any virus. So far, about 16,000 monkeypox cases from over 75 countries have been reported. However, reports mention that it is not clear yet if Monkeypox is just a sexually transmitted illness. The disease reportedly is said to spread through close contact, including kissing, caressing, oral, and penetrative vaginal or anal intercourse with an already affected partner. But it is also not clear yet if an asymptomatic person can spread the virus.
Statistics show that overwhelming majority of people infected with Monkeypox virus are men men who have sex with men. For example, a study by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed that out of 152 patients interviewed, 151 of them identified themselves as identified as gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Similarly, among 336 confirmed cases in the UK till June 6, 311 were male and only 3 were female, while gender information was not available for the rest.
According to the WHO, 99% of confirmed cases in United Kingdom, the United States, Canada have been detected among gay men, especially who have multiple partners.
With the increasing information that the disease is mostly confined to gay and bisexual men, concerns about stigmatisation have also emerged. Warning against associating the disease with the GBMSM community only, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus.”
Moreover, the WHO has clarified that while the disease spreads among gay men, that is not the only mode of transmission, and it is not limited to gay men, saying that is ‘not the case everywhere’. The UN health agency said that while cases have so far been concentrated primarily within gay and bisexual communities, there is little evidence to suggest that the disease will remain confined to those groups. WHO officials also expressed alarm about the stigma and discrimination surrounding monkeypox by associating with the gay and bisexual community.
At a news conference in Geneva, Dr Rosamund Lewis, WHO Technical Lead on Monkeypox, said that such stigma around Monkeypox should be avoided since it would compromise the fight against the illness. Dr. Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer at the WHO, said that there is no certainty that the disease will remain confined to these specific groups only. “At the moment, cases continue to be reported among men who have sex with men for the most part, but we should not expect that to remain as such,” she said. Smallwood added that it is not uncommon for a virus outbreak to start in one particular group or setting before spreading more widely in the general population.
Monkeypox, a rare tropical illness transmitted by wild creatures, has spread suddenly all over the world in the last two months, raising worries about what it is and how harmful it might be. While there have been hundreds of confirmed cases in the UK, infections have been recorded in many countries outside of Africa, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and India.
India at present houses five such patients one from Delhi and Telangana each and three from the state of Kerala. The newly identified suspect is a 40-year-old man from Indiranagar Colony, Kamareddy district who showed monkeypox symptoms after he returned from Kuwait on July 6. The three cases reported from Kerala all in their thirties also showed symptoms after they returned from UAE. However, the one from Delhi who tested positive for the disease has no travel history. The recent case reported on Sunday has alarmed the country of the newly arrived zoonotic disease which belongs to the same family of viruses that causes smallpox.
A 40-year-old resident of Kamareddy with a travel history to Kuwait has shown symptoms of Monkeypox. The patient is being shifted to Fever Hospital in Hyderabad. His samples have been sent to NIV lab, Pune for testing. He has been isolated: Director of Public Health, Telangana
— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2022
How does the disease spread
The virus spreads mostly through direct or indirect contact with the afflicted patient’s body. Scientists have yet to determine if it is solely transmitted through intercourse. News agency ANI talked to Dr. Dhiren Gupta, a senior consultant at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to know the truth about the spread. He agreed with the statement of the WHO chief and added that hugging and massages, use of sex toys as well as prolonged face-to-face contact could also lead to contraction of the virus.
Meanwhile, another dermatologist Dr. Deepali Bharadwaj suggested that people needed to take care amid the spread. “Monkeypox can spread by sex, the touch of all sorts hence strict isolation is the key. Use of face masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing might help”, she added.
Symptoms of Monkey pox
Fever, severe headache, back pain, myalgia (muscle pains), severe asthenia (lack of energy), and lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes) are all symptoms of the virus. Reports mention that these signs and symptoms might linger for up to five days.
The skin eruption generally develops one to three days after the fever appears. The rashes are more noticeable on the face and limbs. The rashes afflict the face in 95% of monkeypox cases, while the palms of the hands and soles of the feet are affected in 75% of cases. The rash might also progress from macules or flat-based lesions to papules or slightly elevated firm lesions. It then progresses to vesicles or lesions with clear fluid, followed by pustules or lesions with yellowish fluid. The rash eventually heals and falls off.
Steps taken by Indian government to curb the spread
In a move to take major steps to the prevention of the spread in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has directed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the ICMR to keep a close watch and monitor the situation. The Union Health Ministry has also directed airport and port health officers to be vigilant. They have been instructed to isolate and send suspected samples to the National Institute of Virology of any sick passenger with a travel history to infected countries.
