sMonkeypox Updates: A Haryana-based professor has been isolated at his residence after he complained of several red rash-like marks and swollen lymph-node like marks – symptoms of Monkeypox. He was in Kerala and recently returned from there in a domestic flight.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune under ICMR has isolated monkeypox virus from the clinical specimen of a patient which can pave the way for development of diagnostic kits and vaccines against the disease, the apex health research body said on Wednesday. With India isolating the virus, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also invited expression of interest (EOI), proposing to hand over the strain to interested Indian vaccine manufacturers, pharma companies and in-vitro diagnostic industry partners for development of indigenous vaccines against monkeypox and diagnostic kits for detection of the disease.
Here are live updates:
– WHO Chief Advises Reducing Sex Partners to Avoid Monkeypox | The head of the World Health Organization on Wednesday advised men at risk of catching monkeypox to consider reducing their sexual partners for the moment following the U.N. health agency declaring the escalating outbreaks in multiple countries to be a global emergency.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of the monkeypox cases detected since the outbreaks emerged in May have been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. He called for those at risk to take steps to protect themselves.
That means making safe choices for yourself and others, for men who have sex with men, Tedros said. This includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners.
– US Reports 1,048 New Monkeypox Cases, Biggest One-day Increase on Record | US becomes global monkeypox capital as record-breaking 1,048 diagnoses brings total cases to 4,639 – overtaking Spanish count of 3,738 infections
– Haryana-based Professor | Initially he was admitted to the civil hospital’s isolation ward, however, now he is quarantined in Jindal Global City of Sonipat, the Indian Express reported. His samples of blood, urine and swollen lymph-nodes have been sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, and the report is expected within three days.
“The patient had reached here (Haryana) on July 16. After returning from Kerala, the patient’s health deteriorated and on Tuesday, the patient complained of several red rash-like marks and swollen lymph-node like marks,” an official of the state health department told IE.
– ICMR Isolates Monkeypox Virus; Invites Companies to Develop Vaccines, Diagnostic Kits | The development comes amid India reporting four cases of monkeypox — three from Kerala and one from Delhi — so far. “The National Institute of Virology has successfully isolated monkeypox virus strain from the samples of infected Indian patients which may help in the development of diagnostic kits and also vaccines in future,” Dr Pragya Yadav, a senior scientist at NIV, told PTI.
“For smallpox live attenuated vaccine was successful for mass immunisation in the past. Similar approaches on new platforms can be tried for making vaccines against monkeypox. The virus isolation enhances India’s capacity to do research and development in many other directions,” she said. At present, fluid inside the lesions on the skin are being used for virus isolation as they have the highest viral titre.
– Dr Yadav said monkeypox virus is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus having two distinct genetic clades — the central African (Congo Basin) clade and the west African clade. “The recent outbreak which has affected several countries leading to a worrisome situation is caused by the West African strain which is less severe than Congo lineage reported earlier. Genomic sequence of the Indian strains has 99.85 per cent match with the West African strains, circulating globally,” Dr Yadav explained.
The EOI documents states that ICMR is willing to make available monkeypox Virus strain/isolates for undertaking research and development validation as well as manufacturing activities using characterized isolates of monkeypox virus under the joint collaboration in the public-private partnership mode for development of vaccine candidate against monkeypox disease and diagnostic kits for diagnosis of the infection.
– US Signs off on 800,000 More Doses of Monkeypox Vaccine | After weeks of delays, nearly 800,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine will soon be available for distribution, U.S. health regulators said Wednesday.
The announcement comes amid growing criticism that authorities have been too slow in deploying the vaccine, potentially missing the window to contain what could soon become an entrenched infectious disease.
Nearly two weeks ago, the Food and Drug Administration said it had finished the necessary inspections at Bavarian Nordic’s facility in Denmark, where the company fills vials of the vaccine. The FDA said via Twitter on Wednesday that the certification had been finalized. The doses are already in the U.S. so that they would be ready to be distributed once the manufacturing changes were approved, the agency said.
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