![]() ![]() Besides NIV Pune, 15 Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) of ICMR have been testing for the virus. NIV Pune has so far shared only two genome sequences on GISAID. Equally, sequencing the genomes and posting the data on global databases is imperative. The importance of timely testing and isolation of cases to limit virus spread cannot be overemphasised. Ishwar Gilada, told Bloomberg that two people with suspected monkeypox infection refused to get tested about two months before the first case was reported in Kerala. All the five cases detected in Kerala are imported, while all four people detected in Delhi have no international travel history and the index case has not been identified for all three. A Mumbai-based doctor, Dr. Anant Bhan, a researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy.Īs of August 11, 184 suspected cases have been tested and nine monkeypox cases have been detected in India. Else, we will end up driving monkeypox spread under the radar,” says Dr. All efforts and attempts should be directed at ensuring that people who have been infected do not face any stigma and discrimination. “While the majority of cases are in the MSM community globally, anyone can get infected through other routes. ![]() So even though the majority of cases are being reported in men who have sex with men, anyone who comes in direct contact with an infected person or even with towels and bedsheets used by an infected person can get infected. Globally, the virus has already spread beyond the MSM networks. Among the people for whom the route of transmission is known, 8.5% of cases are outside the MSM networks. It clearly states that anyone can get infected,” says Dr. The communication from India’s health ministry has been quite straight on this. Also, the demographics could change as we go ahead. “That is why public health communication about the different routes of transmission is critical. Despite homosexuality being decriminalised in India, the acceptance is not the same in India, the reason why some people may not disclose the sexual route of transmission of monkeypox virus. and many countries in South America and Europe. Both legal and social acceptance of men who have sex with men is very high in the U.S. Scaria.Īs per WHO, majority of cases are among men who have sex with men, and sexual encounter is the route of transmission in 91.5% of cases with the known routes of spread. “So even if they had declared the route of transmission as sexual, it is important not to reveal it in the study,” says Dr. Since genome sequence data are posted along with the date and place, it is possible to identify the infected people and trace them, especially since only two sequences have been posted from India. So, expatriates who develop lesions fly back to their respective countries.” “Homosexuality is a crime in UAE and people can get prosecuted. Vinod Scaria, a senior scientist at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB). “There is both a legal and social issue for denying sexual route of transmission,” says Dr. The reasons for denying the sexual route of transmission could be due to fear of stigma and discrimination. While other routes of transmission cannot be ruled out in both cases, it is pertinent to note that lesions were first seen in the genital and/or oral areas. While the first two people in India who tested positive for the monkeypox virus had developed initial symptoms (rashes/lesions), including in the genital area, even before travelling from the United Arab Emirates to Kerala, both had denied sexual contact with anyone with confirmed or suspected infection. This would mean that in about 8.5% of cases the route of transmission was not sexual. Of the 5,473 cases where the route of transmission was reported, 91.5% was through a sexual encounter. Among cases with known data on sexual orientation, 97.2% (8,224 of 8,462) identified as men who have sex with men (MSM). This person, too, had denied any sexual or physical contact with anyone with suspected or confirmed monkeypox infection.Īs per the global update by WHO, as of August 10, 98.7% of 18,940 people with confirmed infection were men. In the second case, genital swelling was seen on July 8, 2022, and two days later, multiple vesicular rashes developed on the genital organ and on both hands lesions were seen in a few other parts of the body couple of days later.
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