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Last year, a patient died of monkeypox in Pakistan. (File photo)
One more patient of ampox has been found in Pakistan. Thus, the number of ampox patients has increased to five. All the five cases have been found in people who landed from international flights. It could not be ascertained which variant is present in all the three.
Officials said on Saturday that passengers were screened at Karachi airport. Two suspected patients were found there, out of which a 51-year-old man was found infected with the virus. He has been admitted to the hospital. At present, his condition is said to be stable.
After a new case of monkeypox virus was reported in Pakistan, the government has become alert. Surveillance has been increased at all airports. At the same time, people have been told not to worry about the spread of monkeypox. Last year, a patient died of monkeypox in Pakistan.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox or monkeypox a global public health emergency on August 14. This was the second time in two years that the disease was declared a health emergency. The new strain of this virus (Clad-1) is more contagious than the previous strain and its mortality rate is also higher.
Monkeypox is a viral disease similar to smallpox. Infection with this virus usually does not cause many side effects, but in rare cases it can be fatal.
RT-PCR kit developed for testing monkeypox in India
Within 15 days of monkeypox being declared a public emergency, India has developed an RT-PCR kit to test this infection. The name of this kit is IMDX Monkeypox Detection RT-PCR Assay and it has been prepared by Siemens Healthineers.
According to the company, this kit will give test results in just 40 minutes. This kit has been clinically approved by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has approved the manufacture of this kit.
This kit will give faster results than traditional methods
Hariharan Subramanian, Managing Director, Siemens Healthcare Pvt Ltd said that the need for accurate and precise diagnostics has never been as important as it is today. This kit will give results in just 40 minutes, which is much faster than conventional methods that give results in 1-2 hours.
With the help of this kit, the time taken to detect monkeypox will be reduced, which will also speed up treatment. The IMDX Monkeypox RTPCR Kit has been made under Indian statutory guidelines and is in accordance with global standards.
Vadodara unit has the capacity to make 10 lakh kits in a year
Siemens Healthcare Private Limited has said that this RT-PCR kit will be made in the company’s molecular diagnostics manufacturing unit located in Vadodara. This unit has the capacity to make 10 lakh kits in a year. The factory is ready to make these RT-PCR kits available.
This RT-PCR kit will be manufactured at the company’s molecular diagnostics manufacturing unit in Vadodara.
How will this RT-PCR kit work?
The company said that this RT-PCR kit is a molecular test that targets two different regions in the virus genome, allowing the detection of both Clade-I and Clade-II variants. This test kit has the ability to completely detect different viral strains and give comprehensive results.
Notably, the kit can operate on any platform and fits easily into existing lab flowwork with standard PCR setups. It does not require any new instruments. Using the existing COVID testing infrastructure will enhance its capacity.
More than 17 thousand cases of Mpox have been reported in Africa so far
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), more than 17,000 suspected cases of Mpox have been reported on the African continent so far this year, while 517 deaths have been reported. This year’s number of cases has increased by 160% compared to the same period last year.
So far, Mpox cases have been reported in 13 countries.
Ampox was first found in monkeys in 1958
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958. At that time, two monkeys kept for research in Denmark showed symptoms of smallpox-like disease. Its first case in humans was found in 1970 in a 9-year-old child in Congo. Generally, this disease spreads through rodents i.e. rats, squirrels and male monkeys.
This disease can also spread from human to human. Its symptoms are similar to smallpox. In this, blisters or ulcers appear on the body. These can be small or big. These blisters or ulcers are filled with pus. They slowly dry up and heal. During this, fever, stiffness and unbearable pain occur.
In 2022, the World Health Organization decided that the name monkeypox was a stigma for monkeys. This virus comes from animals other than monkeys. Therefore its name was changed to ampox. Now it is called ampox all over the world.
The virus takes effect within 7 days of coming in contact with an infected person
Whenever a person comes in contact with a monkeypox patient, the virus enters the body of a healthy person. The virus starts acting within 3 to 7 days. People suffering from monkeypox are contagious. They can spread it to others until all the lesions heal and a new layer of skin forms.
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