Our world has been rattled with another health emergency, and this time it’s the Monkeypox Virus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been more than 16,000 reported cases of this once largely African-confined virus so far in 2022. The alarmingly rapid spread of the Monkeypox Virus to non-endemic countries necessitated WHO to declare a Global Health Emergency.
Global Health Emergency: What does it mean?
A Global Health Emergency signifies an “extraordinary event” that runs the risk of affecting other countries as well and calls for a united global response. Three key criteria must be met for such a declaration – an “Extraordinary Event”, a “Public Health Risk” to other nations due to the potential international spread of the disease, and the likelihood of requiring a “coordinated international response”.
In the case of the Monkeypox Virus, the number of cases has grown five-fold within a month, and scientific principles, evidence, and other relevant information, are currently insufficient, leading to many unknowns.
Past Emergencies and their Impact
The WHO had previously declared emergencies for public health crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, the Zika virus spread in Latin America in 2016, the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014, and the ongoing effort to eradicate Polio. These declarations primarily aim to garner more global resources and attention towards the crisis at hand.
Understanding Monkeypox
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms akin to smallpox, but less severe clinically. This infection was first discovered in 1958 during two pox-like disease outbreaks in monkey research colonies, hence its naming.
Symptoms include a chickenpox-like rash along with severe fever, malaise, and headache. In the early stages, Monkeypox can be distinguished from smallpox due to enlarged lymph glands.
Transmission and Vulnerability
Initial infection of Monkeypox occurs through direct contact with the infected animal’s blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions. Eating inadequately cooked meat of an infected animal also poses a risk. Human-to-human transmission can result from close contact with infected respiratory tract secretions, skin lesions of an infected person, or objects recently contaminated by patient fluids or lesion materials. Interestingly, monkeypox can be transmitted congenitally.
The disease spreads rapidly, with one in ten infected individuals potentially succumbing to it.
Treatment and Vaccination: The Way Forward
Presently, there isn’t a specific treatment or vaccine available for Monkeypox. However, post the declaration of monkeypox as a global health emergency, the European Union has recommended using the Small Pox Vaccine, Imvanex, as a treatment mode.
The role of organizations like WHO becomes pivotal during such health emergencies, as seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. A collective and coordinated international response can help tackle such crises more effectively.
