ICMR, NCDC put on alert as WHO confirms 80 monkey pox cases in 11 countries

As More than 80 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in at least 11 countries, Central govt has recently issued an alert to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to closely observe the situation and send samples of symptomatic travellers to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for further investigation

It is a rare viral infection which is usually mild and from which most people recover in a few weeks, according to the UK's National Health Service. The virus does not spread easily between people and the risk to the wider public is said to be very low. There is no specific vaccine for monkeypox, but a smallpox jab offers 85 per cent protection since the two viruses are quite similar.