New Delhi, Sep 10 (Bureau) Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that 30 Mpox cases have been reported in India since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the surge of Mpox (Monkeypox) cases in several parts of Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). As per WHO, 121 countries have reported a total of 1,03,048 Mpox cases and 229 deaths globally between January 2022 – July 31, 2024. As of 1st September, 15 African countries have reported 3,900 confirmed cases of the disease, the Ministry said. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Nigeria are the three countries with the highest number of cases this year, it added. Severe cases of Mpox are more common in children and depend on factors such as virus exposure, patient health, and complications.
It spreads through prolonged close contact with an infected person or direct contact with body fluids, lesion material, or contaminated items like clothing or linens. This zoonotic viral disease can be prevented by avoiding contact with materials such as bedding and clothing that have been in contact with infected individuals and isolating infected patients from others. Practicing good hand hygiene, such as washing hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after contact with infected animals or humans, using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when caring for patients and properly containing and disposing of contaminated waste (e.g., dressings) under Biomedical Waste Management guidelines for infectious waste are some of the way to prevent this disease.