MONKEYPOX VIRUS

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Context

• The World Health Organization Country Office for India has sought the assistance of India’s — ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, — to test suspected cases of monkeypox for the south-east Asia region (SEAR) member-states.

Monkey Pox Virus

About

• Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africaand is occasionally exported to other regions.
• The first case of monkeypox in humans was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congoduring a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox.
• Scientists have so far discovered two distinct genetic groups of monkeypox virus—Central African and West African.

Cause

• It is caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
• Monkeypox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox. But Smallpox had a higher fatality rate than monkeypox.
• Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.

Symptoms

• Monkeypox is characterised by flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes, which gradually progresses to a widespread rash all over the face and body.

Transmission

• Monkeypox virus is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission also occurs.
• It spreads from one person to another via respiratory droplets.

Mutation

• Monkeypox virus is a DNA virus with a quite large genome of around 2,00,000 nucleotide bases.
• While being a DNA virus, the rate of mutations in the monkeypox virus is significantly lower (~1-2 mutations per year) compared to RNA viruses like SARS-CoV-2.
• The low rate of mutation therefore limits the wide application of genomic surveillance in providing detailed clues to the networks of transmission for monkeypox, unlike what was possible for SARS-CoV-2.

Treatment

• There is currently no specific treatment recommended for monkeypox.
• Vaccination against smallpox was about 85% effective in preventing monkeypox.
• Thus, prior childhood smallpox vaccination may result in a milder disease course.

Trivia

• Recent monkeypox outbreaks are unusual in India because they are occurring in countries where the virus has not been endemic.

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