The Regional Director of WHO's South-East Asia Region called on member nations on Sunday to improve monitoring and public health measures for monkeypox, which the global health organization has labeled a public health emergency of worldwide concern, news agency PTI reported.
Monkeypox has spread swiftly and to many nations that have never seen it before, causing tremendous alarm, according to Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region.
"However, with cases concentrated among men who have sex with men, it is possible to curtail further spread of the disease with focused efforts among at-risk population," she was quoted by PTI in its report.
Over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been recorded from 75 countries worldwide. Four cases of monkeypox have been recorded in the WHO South-East Asia Region, three from India and one from Thailand. The instances in India are among citizens who have returned from the Middle East, while a Nigerian residing in Thailand has tested positive for monkeypox.
"Importantly, our focused efforts and measures should be sensitive, devoid of stigma or discrimination," the regional director said.
Earlier today, a 34-year-old man from the national capital with no history of foreign travel has tested positive for monkeypox virus, officials said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, announced the decision to declare monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on Saturday, a day after convening yet another conference of the International Health Regulations (IHR) emergency committee to review the multi-country outbreak.
"Though the risk of monkeypox globally and in the Region is moderate, the potential of its further international spread is real. Also, there are still many unknowns about the virus. We need to stay alert and prepared to roll out intense response to curtail further spread of monkeypox," Dr Khetrapal Singh was quoted by PTI in its report.
Since the outbreak's inception, WHO has been assisting nations in assessing risk and initiating public health interventions, as well as establishing and enabling testing capacity in the Region. Engaging and protecting affected communities; strengthening clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics; and accelerating research into the use of vaccines, therapeutics, and other tools are among the key measures that need to be scaled up, according to the Regional Director.
The monkeypox virus spreads from infected animals to people through indirect or direct contact. Direct contact with infected skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets, can result in human-to-human transmission.
Transmission appears to be predominantly through intimate physical contact, including sexual contact, in the present outbreak of monkeypox in countries and among the cases that have been recorded.
Infected items with infectious skin particles, such linens, mattresses, gadgets, and clothes, can also transmit disease.
(With Inputs From PTI)