Bangladesh has declared a health alert to control the ongoing outbreak of the Monkeypox across the world. However, no cases have been reported in the country so far. “No monkeypox case has been reported in Bangladesh yet, but we have made the declaration to check any eventuality,” an official from the country’s health ministry said as quoted by news agency ANI.
According to the official, the initial steps will involve monkeypox screening of all incoming passengers from countries where cases have been detected. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 80 cases of monkeypox in 11 countries and stated that the officials are working to understand the extent and cause of the outbreak.
On Friday, the global health agency maintained that the virus is endemic in some animal populations in many countries, leading to occasional outbreaks among local people and travelers.
“WHO is working with the affected countries and others to expand disease surveillance to find and support people who may be affected and provide guidance on how to manage the disease. We continue to convene meetings of experts and technical advisory groups (such as the meeting today of the Strategic & Technical Advisory Group on Infectious Hazards with Pandemic and Epidemic Potential [STAG-IH]) to share information on the disease and response strategies,” WHO stated on Friday.
WHO also cautioned that stigmatising groups of people because of a disease is “never acceptable.” “It can be a barrier to ending an outbreak as it may prevent people from seeking care, and lead to undetected spread,” it added.
According to WHO, Monkeypox is endemic in the following countries: Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana (identified in animals only), Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis with symptoms very similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe. The incubation period of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days, according to WHO.
