Former Indian Council of Medical Research scientist Dr Raman Gangakhedkar told News18 that if India keeps isolating quickly and does an efficient contact tracing followed by isolation, there is no reason to panic at all
Mpox cannot be termed the second Covid-19 and is not comparable to coronavirus in terms of lethality or being a hidden danger, former Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist Dr Raman Gangakhedkar told News18 as the country detected the first case of Mpox in the latest global upsurge.
Allaying the fears of facing one more pandemic, the country’s top epidemiologist said there is no reason to panic. “The death rate of this infection is low, and it is relatively easy to identify a case because lesions appear on the skin after three to five days of fever,” Gangakhedkar said, while applauding the Union government’s efforts to zero in on the case at the earliest.
On Monday, the Union Health Ministry confirmed the first case of Mpox in India as a travel-related infection. “Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of Mpox virus of the West African clade 2 in the patient. This case is an isolated case, like the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards, and is not a part of the current public health emergency (reported by WHO) which is regarding clade 1 of Mpox,” the ministry said.
Gangakhedkar, who was the face of India’s apex medical research agency during government briefings on Covid-19, told News18: “This world is a global village and disease-causing germs can travel across. But, we picked up this case early which shows the strength of our surveillance mechanism at airports. If we keep on isolating quickly and do an efficient contact tracing followed by isolation, there is no reason to panic at all.”
Much lighter, no comparison with Covid-19
According to the scientist, Mpox is not comparable to Covid-19 which, he believes, was a greater threat.
“In Covid-19, our enemy was invisible. Even the carrier of the virus would not know that they are transmitting the virus to vulnerable people. The virus in that case was airborne but, in Mpox, the disease is visible through skin lesions and is transmitted via direct contact with secretions,” he said.
Gangakhedkar also pointed out that people above the age of 45 are likely to have received the shot of smallpox vaccine which protects them from acquiring the infection. “This means the younger population remains susceptible to this infection and we know their bodies are generally stronger and more resilient to combating illnesses.”
He added: “The population above 40-50 years was at risk of Covid-19 and, in this case, they are the ones who are most likely safe due to prior vaccination.”
Don’t Hide Lesions, Visit A Doctor Immediately
The only word of caution from the epidemiologist is — “Don’t hide any lesions or boils on the skin that appear after fever.”
He said: “Go and get that lesion checked by your doctor. The doctor is more likely to tell you that it is not Mpox but you shouldn’t hide it and end up passing infection to your near and dear ones.”
“Overall, there is no reason to panic or hide infection,” said Dr Gangakhedkar, who was involved in the prevention and control strategies against the HIV epidemic in India.
