So far, India has reported nine cases of monkeypox and one death. The government has stepped up vigil and issued revised guidelines. To contain the spread and treat the infected, India may opt for ring vaccination strategy that involves inoculating close contacts of monkeypox patients
A pharmacist holds a bottle of Monkeypox vaccine at a Pop-Up Monkeypox vaccination site. AP File
In its strategy to combat the slowly but steadily spreading monkeypox infection, the government may adopt selective vaccination of close contacts of those infected and healthcare workers in what is known as ‘ring vaccination’.
On July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern considering the global outbreaks in all the six regions in multiple countries.
WHO declares monkeypox a global health emergency: What does this mean?
Monkeypox in India
So far, India has reported nine cases of monkeypox and one death. The government has stepped up vigil and issued revised guidelines. The government believes that at present, vaccinating the general population is not required.
According to a report by the Business Standard, the recently-formed Central Task Force on monkeypox has stressed the importance of developing diagnostic kits and vaccines for the contagious disease, which has thus far been primarily detected among gay and bisexual men, despite it not being classified as a sexually transmitted disease.
Also read: Monkeypox: Union Health Ministry lists Do’s and Don’ts to prevent viral disease
Experts have also suggested that point-of-care tests, screening, and a widespread testing network in the hinterlands can help arrest the spread of monkeypox.
The Indian Council Medical Research’s (ICMR) National Institute of Virology in Pune isolated the monkeypox strain and invited pharma companies to explore options for development of vaccines and diagnostic kits.
What is ring vaccination?Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health believes vaccinating a “ring” of people around an individual infected with monkeypox could be effective in curbing the spread of the disease.
According to a report by Mint, even though ring vaccination has not been recommended in a generalised way in any of the countries, India may opt for it if the need arises.
The disease, which spreads primarily through close contact between people exhibiting symptoms, is a relative of smallpox but is less contagious with milder illness. Symptoms include a rash that can look like pimples or blisters as well as fever and chills.
Dr Robert H Shmerling (MD) – a current member of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing, writes in Harvard Health – “In light of the current monkeypox outbreak, you may soon be hearing more about ring vaccination. Then again, if appropriate measures are taken to prevent its spread, this outbreak may soon be over. Either way, this won’t be the last time an unusual virus shows up seemingly out of the blue in unexpected places. Climate change, shrinking animal habitats, rising global animal trade, and increasing international travel mean that it’s only a matter of time before this happens again.”
Ring vaccination has worked well in the past to contain smallpox and Ebola outbreaks. It may be effective for monkeypox as well.
Phyllis Kanki, Mary Woodard Lasker Professor of Health Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, noted in an article in Leaps.org that an existing vaccine called Jynneos can be effective in preventing the spread of monkeypox via ring vaccination.
“Since monkeypox spreads by close contact and we have an effective vaccine, vaccinating high-risk individuals and their contacts may be a good strategy to limit transmission,” she said.With inputs from agencies
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