Sri Lanka braces for possible monkeypox threat

• Continues vigilance  

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

In the wake of India recording a suspected case of mpox,  the local health authorities continue to ramp up its vigilance.   

According to India’s health ministry, the cases was found  in a man who recently travelled from a country suffering an outbreak of  the virus.  

The young male patient has been isolated in a hospital and  is in stable condition, the ministry said in a statement, adding that  the world’s most populous nation had “robust measures” in place.   

 The ministry did not specify which strain of the mpox virus  the patient might have, but tests were being conducted to confirm the  infection.   

The clade 1b variety of mpox has triggered global concern  because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.   

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recently declared the  infectious disease a public health emergency of international concern.     

According to sources in Sri Lanka’s Health Ministry,  there hasn’t been a major increase in cases and thus, the imminent threat  from monkeypox is minimal as contingency measures are in place.   

However, a senior official who did not want to be quoted said, the Ministry has taken steps for extra-vigil.   

Steps being taken include heightened monitoring at airports  and seaports, as most reported cases so far involve individuals with a  travel history to countries with significantly higher case numbers.   

According to the WHO, Monkeypox is usually a self-limited  disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks. It typically  manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead  to a range of medical complications.   

It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body  fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as  through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person.