The global trajectory of monkeypox continues to show a declining trend since mid-August, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
Most cases detected to date have been mild and treatment for the disease remains largely supportive, Pawar said in a written reply to a question.
According to the WHO, investigational drugs are used in some countries in clinical research settings only.
In terms of building diagnostic capacities for disease diagnosis, 20 ICMR-network laboratories have been operationalised across the country for testing monkeypox.
"While the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an outbreak of monkeypox disease as a public health emergency of international concern on July 23, 2022, the global trajectory of monkeypox continues to show a declining trend since mid-August, 2022," she said.
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Monkeypox is a self-limited disease presenting with fever, intense headache, lymphadenopathy or swelling of lymph nodes, back pain, myalgia or muscle aches, and a rash that tends to be more concentrated on the face and extremities.
Symptoms of monkeypox generally last from two to four weeks. The disease is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus, Pawar said.
