Mpox fear: Chickenpox vaccine could help as symptoms of both diseases are similar, says BHU professor Gopal Nath

New Delhi, August 28: According to a professor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), chickenpox vaccine can be effective against the infectious disease Mpox, which is causing a deadly outbreak in Africa. Speaking to IANS, Dr Gopal Nath of the microbiology department at BHU claimed that chickenpox vaccine can be effective as the symptoms of both the diseases are similar.

“Most of the symptoms of Mpox disease are similar to those of chickenpox. Therefore, it can be assumed that the vaccine against chickenpox administered in the 1980s is very effective,” he said. Monkeypox fear: Karnataka government chairs high-level meeting to assess monkeypox situation, reserves 50 beds in Bengaluru.

At least 14 countries in Africa are currently suffering from a deadly outbreak of smallpox, caused primarily by the more contagious clade Ib disease, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to recently declare the disease a global health emergency.

Outside Africa, the Clade Ib virus has caused infections in Sweden and Thailand, where one case has been reported in each. On Monday, WHO also launched a global strategic preparedness and response plan for Mpox to stop human-to-human transmission. Mpox outbreak in India: What is the monkeypox virus? Will it cause the next global pandemic? From causes to symptoms, here's everything you need to know about the disease.

The spread has been called another pandemic, similar to Covid-19. However, Nath disagreed, stating that it is not as transmissible as SARS-COV-2, the virus behind Covid.

“Compared to coronavirus, Mpox is not very dangerous. Coronavirus was able to spread much faster,” the professor told IANS. He noted that “India is on high alert regarding the increasing threat of Mpox.” “Our team in the health ministry is also on high alert.”

Meanwhile, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved its own RT-PCR test for the deadly infectious disease that delivers results in just 40 minutes. Siemens Healthineers' novel test can deliver results much faster than conventional methods (which take 1-2 hours). This can help reduce report turnaround time and enable faster responses.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on August 28, 2024 08:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com.)