Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi: ‘Risk of lockdowns due to rising monkeypox cases is zero per cent’, claimed Faheem Younus, Chief of Infectious Diseases from the University of Maryland as fears of shutdown gripped countries amid rising cases of the viral disease.
Till now, 75 countries have detected cases of the monkeypox virus. However, it may not spread as fast as SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind Covid-19, the expert said. The recent outbreak, first reported from the UK on May 7, has now more than 16,000 cases till July 24 and there have been five deaths so far as a result of the outbreak.
Monkeypox vs COVID
According to Faheem Younus, Chief of Infectious Diseases from the University of Maryland, unlike Covid, which was airborne, monkeypox is harder to transmit. “Monkeypox requires close skin contact with lesions, fluid. Soiled surfaces and beddings are also a risk. (But) rarely respiratory droplets can transmit. Again, Covid is a novel virus, but monkeypox is not a new virus and importantly “we have available vaccines to fight it”. In the case of Covid, vaccines had to be developed”, the US expert wrote on the microblogging site. “If Covid is like a snake bite, monkeypox is like bed bugs. However, monkeypox is still important and concerning, but not the same as Covid”, Faheem Younus added.
US to Witness Largest Monkeypox Cases in World
The US is likely to see the largest monkeypox cases in the world within days, a recent report claimed. Data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that the country detected 3,487 cases of the rash-causing virus as of Tuesday, behind only Spain with 3,596 confirmed infections. New York City currently has the largest outbreak at 1,040 confirmed infections according to its Department of Health. The CDC said the state has 990 infections at present. It was followed by California, at 356, and Illinois, with 341.
Monkeypox vs COVID
According to Faheem Younus, Chief of Infectious Diseases from the University of Maryland, unlike Covid, which was airborne, monkeypox is harder to transmit. “Monkeypox requires close skin contact with lesions, fluid. Soiled surfaces and beddings are also a risk. (But) rarely respiratory droplets can transmit. Again, Covid is a novel virus, but monkeypox is not a new virus and importantly “we have available vaccines to fight it”. In the case of Covid, vaccines had to be developed”, the US expert wrote on the microblogging site. “If Covid is like a snake bite, monkeypox is like bed bugs. However, monkeypox is still important and concerning, but not the same as Covid”, Faheem Younus added.
US to Witness Largest Monkeypox Cases in World
The US is likely to see the largest monkeypox cases in the world within days, a recent report claimed. Data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that the country detected 3,487 cases of the rash-causing virus as of Tuesday, behind only Spain with 3,596 confirmed infections. New York City currently has the largest outbreak at 1,040 confirmed infections according to its Department of Health. The CDC said the state has 990 infections at present. It was followed by California, at 356, and Illinois, with 341.
