Monkeypox non-fatal disease, say experts

Hyderabad: With multiple Indian States including Telangana either reporting confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox, senior public health officials and seasonal disease experts in Hyderabad have urged people not to unnecessarily panic but to make themselves aware about the disease and take precautions accordingly. So far, no one has died of monkeypox infection and to […]

Hyderabad: With multiple Indian States including Telangana either reporting confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox, senior public health officials and seasonal disease experts in Hyderabad have urged people not to unnecessarily panic but to make themselves aware about the disease and take precautions accordingly.

So far, no one has died of monkeypox infection and to almost all persons who were infected by it, the symptoms have been mild and they tend to resolve on their own in few weeks without even needing any kinds of medical intervention. However, individuals who test positive for monkeypox have to be isolated, as they can transmit the disease.

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“There is no need for people to panic due to monkeypox because the disease is self-limiting, which means it resolves on its own. However, positive patients can transmit the disease to others if they come very close to them. That’s why, we advise positive patients to get isolated. It is a non-fatal disease,” seasonal disease expert and Superintendent, Fever Hospital, Dr K Shankar, said.

Based on the guidelines from union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), human-to-human transmission is occurring primarily through large respiratory droplets that generally require prolonged close contact. The monkeypox can also directly be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material of the infected person. Monkeypox can also be transmitted indirectly when someone comes on contact with the lesion (rashes) material through contaminated clothing or lines of an infected person.

Based on multiple peer-reviewed international journals and experts, monkeypox is primarily a sexually transmitted infection (STI). A recent study that was published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the global monkeypox outbreak is primarily drive through same-sex partners, who are at a very high risk of getting infected. Individuals with travel history must watch out for symptoms and isolate themselves whenever they experience the symptoms.

Public health experts pointed out that monkeypox is primarily Sexually-Transmitted Infection (STI) and unlike Covid-19, which is airborne in nature, monkeypox spreads only through close contact including sexual interactions.