Odisha: SCB Hospital nodal centre for Monkeypox management

Dr Jayant Panda, Head of Medicine Department told OdishaTV "There are no reports of monkeypox cases in Odisha so far. As there are no restrictions on international travel, the chances of the virus intruding on the state cannot be ruled out. Few cases in Kerala and Delhi have been reported and the infected person from the national capital did not have any foreign contact travel or travel history."

In fact, on July 23, World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the global monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)".

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So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries and five deaths in Africa.

Health experts welcomed the WHO's decision to issue the PHEIC declaration, which until now had only been applied to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio. Monkeypox can soon become the next pandemic after coronavirus if the cases start to rise more globally.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe. Monkeypox typically presents with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.