Covid control recipe ‘applies to Monkeypox too’
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Staff Reporter
The precautionary measures adopted to thwart the public health risk caused by the Covid-19 virus are very much relevant in the current battle against the Monkeypox virus, a leading global health official opined yesterday.
Dr Richard Brennan, Regional Emergency Director of World Health Organisation (WHO), made the statement while speaking at an online press conference, which was attended by Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Yvan Hutin, Director of Communicable Diseases and Dr Joumana Hermez, Regional Adviser on HIV/ Hepatitis/STIs.
“Isolating at home if you have any of the symptoms, washing hands frequently, cleaning the surfaces are among the constellation of activities needed to thwart the threat caused by Monkeypox. And the precautionary measures are almost similar to those deployed to tackle the threat triggered by the Covid pandemic,” he pointed out.
Dr Al Mandhari said seven countries have reported cases of Monkeypox in the region. “Globally, across the region the weekly cases went increasing until it came down by 21 per cent last week. Since the beginning of the New Year, over 40,000 cases have been reported. A public health emergency was declared by WHO director general to take precautionary measures.”
He said stigma will only delay the required attention. “Effective public health response can stop the transmission of Monkeypox. Most patients can recover at home with adequate support. But it is a risk to vulnerable groups including those suffering from health conditions.”
Dr Al Mandhari said vaccines are an additional supplementary tool. “As of now, the supplies are limited. We still don’t know how much the vaccine works. But we must ensure that healthcare workers are safe and it is only possible through vaccination.” Dr Yvan said Pox virus is one family.
“The vaccine that was used to eliminate Smallpox is now being used to curb the spread of Monkeypox. We have now developed a newer generation of vaccines engineered to reduce side effects.”
Dr Joumana said men having sex with men is the most affected category among infected Monkeypox patients. “So far, Monkeypox was in the realm of animals. Only intermittently such diseases are transmitted to humans. We have no dedicated research in this area.
We are now working on identifying the means of transmission. Overcoming stigmatization and discrimination is the major challenge when it comes to dealing with the disease in the region. By doing so, we will be able to give more attention as well as protection.”
She added that the local authorities along with WHO officials must attempt to find the balance between social norms and needs of the targeted groups. “Stigma and discrimination would impede people from coming forward or admitting that they have been infected with the disease.”
The experts also warned that Covid-19 threat is far from over. “People are still getting infected and dying. Over 80,000 people got infected in the region and 600 died during the last week. The pandemic is not over and Covid-19 is not going away. Living with caution is important. We have learnt several important lessons from the pandemic days and countries should continue to strengthen their surveillance.”
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