Context
WHO declared Monkeypox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
About Mpox
- An Infectious Disease
- Caused by the monkeypox virus.
- Double-stranded DNA virus.
- 1st identified in a lab in Denmark in 1958.
- 1st reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
- Modes of Transmission:
- Human Contact: Through touch, kissing, or sex with an infected person.
- Animal Contact: Through hunting, skinning, or cooking infected animals.
- Contaminated Materials: Through contact with contaminated sheets, clothes, or needles.
- Pregnancy: Virus may be transmitted from a pregnant person to their unborn child.
- Geographical Occurrence: Sporadic cases in Central, East, and West Africa after 1970.
- Treatment: Supportive care; smallpox vaccines and therapeutics
- Prevention: Mpox can be prevented by avoiding physical contact with someone who has mpox. Vaccination, including the JYNNEOS® vaccine, can help protect those at risk.
About Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
- Criteria for PHEIC: An outbreak qualifies as a PHEIC if it is
- Unusual,
- Unexpected,
- Has potential for international spread, and
- May require immediate global action.
- PHEIC Alert: Represents the highest level of alert issued by WHO under the International Health Regulations.
- The International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005: A binding international legal agreement involving 196 countries, including all WHO Member States.
- PHEIC Declarations: Since 2009, WHO has declared seven PHEICs:
- H1N1 influenza,
- polio,
- Ebola (West Africa),
- Zika,
- Ebola (Congo),
- COVID-19, and
- Mpox.
- This is the second time in two years that mpox has been declared a global emergency.
Source:
Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. In tropical regions, Zika virus disease is transmitted by the same mosquito that transmits dengue.
2. Sexual transmission of Zika virus disease is possible.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2017 Prelims]
In the making of how many of the above are hydrofluorocarbons used?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
Answer: (c)
