Days ago, a 26-year-old, infected by the clade-2 variant of <keyword id="20134986" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monkeypox" source="keywords">Monkeypox</keyword>, became India's first confirmed case of the viral infection that is currently wreaking major havoc in African nations. A month after the WHO (World Health Organization) declared Monkeypox clade-1 a global public health emergency, neighbor <keyword id="19899252" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pakistan" source="keywords">Pakistan</keyword> already has 5 confirmed cases. Three weeks ago, <keyword id="19913659" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="thailand" source="keywords">Thailand</keyword> had also confirmed the first case of Monkeypox's newer variant (clade 1b) in <keyword id="19915288" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="asia" source="keywords">Asia</keyword>, which is considered far more deadly than its previous counterpart. Common symptoms of this viral infection include rashes on face, hands, feet and mouth. <keyword id="20965747" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mpox" source="keywords">Mpox</keyword> is generally characterised by pus-filled blisters, which generally last about 2-4 weeks. Other symptoms of this infection also include fever, headache, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. While it is not deadly, Mpox is highly infectious and spreads on close contact. Since July 2022, India has reported 30 cases of Monkeypox. But with the outbreak of infection now looming larger than ever, here's a concise guide on navigating through your insurance, in case you or your loved ones are afflicted by Monkeypox. Note that at present, there are no separate insurance add-ons or riders for Mpox, unlike Covid-19. But since it is a viral infection, coverage for Mpox hospitalization, diagnostic tests and treatment is already present in your standard health insurance policy. But remember that hospitalization, and even recovery expenses for infectious diseases such as Mpox can be enormous, especially in private hospitals and urban centers. That is why, not only should you have an adequate insurance cover, but you should also make sure you are comprehensively covered when it comes pre and post hospitalization expenses, ICU charges, room rent etc. Since Mpox demands complete isolation of the patient, it is important to ensure that there are no limits on the room you opt for, while being hospitalised. Mahesh Yelapure, Head of Health Underwriting &amp; Health Claims, Go Digit General Insurance also cautions that you should confirm with your respective insurers, if there are any recent changes in terms, conditions of insurance policies, when it comes to Mpox treatment. Additionally, you should also be aware of any deductibles, sub-limits, or co-payment options of your policy. Deductibles is minimum amount you will have to pay before your insurer starts footing the bill for a particular disease or illness, while sub-limits refer to the maximum amount your policy will offer as coverage for a particular condition. This varies, depending on the policy and insurer, so always undertake thorough research to get yourself the best deal. <h2>Insure your travels</h2>If you are planning to travel abroad, be sure to buy a travel insurance policy ahead of your trip. Your travel insurance policy will typically includes medical coverage, which can help cover the costs of hospitalization for conditions like Mpox and other diseases. Keep the policy document handy, and also add a nominee, in case any extraordinary situation arises. If you require medical treatment for Mpox and require stay in a hospital for more than 24 hours, your policy may provide financial assistance, especially in a foreign country, where the cost of medical treatment might be super high. However, Yelapure also advises to look out for government-issued travel advisories before planning any travel. "If the government issues a travel advisory prohibiting citizens to travel to certain countries where the number of confirmed cases of Mpox is high, and one anyway decides to travel despite the issued advisory, and one contracts the disease, the claim may get rejected by the insurer", he says. As of last month, cases of Mpox Clade 1b virus have been skyrocketing in 13 countries, which include <keyword id="67854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congo" source="Orion">Congo</keyword>, Burundi, Kenya, South Africa, Liberia, South Africa, Cameroon, <keyword id="20027571" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uganda" source="keywords">Uganda</keyword>, <keyword id="20218680" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rwanda" source="keywords">Rwanda</keyword> and Nigeria. In Asia, apart from Pakistan and Thailand, Mpox cases have also been reported in Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia.

Mpox outbreak: Understand what your insurance covers for Mpox treatment

The <keyword id="22667872" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mpox-outbreak" source="keywords">mpox outbreak</keyword> in <keyword id="19924003" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="africa" source="keywords">Africa</keyword> is yet another example of how <keyword id="20040661" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="infectious-diseases" source="keywords">infectious diseases</keyword>, perceived to be "someone else's problem", and affecting mainly poor, developing countries, may suddenly pose unexpected global threats. Other examples of <keyword id="22817243" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neglected-diseases" source="keywords">neglected diseases</keyword> include the West Nile, Zika and Chikungunya viruses. Mpox was discovered in 1958 (in captive monkeys, hence the original misnomer "monkeypox") and the first human case was identified in 1970. Then, for decades it was largely neglected by the scientific and public health communities, regarded as an uncommon infection in remote rural areas in tropical Africa, without relevance for the rest of the world. When a massive mpox outbreak hit developed countries in 2022, increased research funding led to a surge in scientific studies. On just one medical search engine, there's been more research produced since April 2022 than in the preceding 60 years. The 2022-23 global mpox outbreak happened despite repeated calls from African researchers for increased global investment in diagnostic, therapeutic and infection prevention tools for mpox. The WHO has now declared the current upsurge of mpox in central Africa a <keyword id="21952478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="public-health-emergency" source="keywords">public health emergency</keyword> of international concern. This is the highest alert level for events that constitute a public health risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. Mpox's recent history is yet another reminder that an infectious disease in one corner of the world should not be regarded as someone else's problem, as it can suddenly start to spread fast and far. It also highlights global inequities in resource allocation and access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. These were made available in many industrialised countries and helped curb the global outbreak, but are still largely lacking in most of Africa. <h2>The 2022 outbreak: a total surprise</h2>The disease has been renamed "mpox" but the name of the virus, for now, remains "monkeypox" (MPXV). It is closely related to the smallpox virus. MPXV was considered a <keyword id="21311828" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoonotic-disease" source="keywords">zoonotic disease</keyword> endemic in parts of central and west Africa. It was acquired mainly through close contact with wild mammals, especially handling bush meat, but there was no sustained human-to-human transmission. Only very occasionally were cases seen outside the endemic areas, due to infected travellers or import of infected small mammals. This changed abruptly in 2022: a massive, rapidly evolving global outbreak caused over 99,000 laboratory-confirmed cases in 116 countries. At its peak in August 2022, over 6,000 cases were reported each week. This outbreak came as a total surprise: most cases were reported from non-endemic countries, mostly in men who have sex with men, who had become infected during recent sexual encounters. Even though most cases were clinically not particularly severe and the death toll stands at just over 200, the global outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the <keyword id="19896311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="keywords">World Health Organization</keyword> on 23 July, 2022. Fortunately, case numbers soon plummeted due to a combination of behavioural changes and vaccination in at-risk groups. Modern vaccines and antiviral drugs with activity against mpox were made available in many affected high-income countries. These had been developed and stockpiled in the US and Europe, mostly in preparation for a potential bioweapon attack using a poxvirus. The global outbreak in 2022 was caused by clade II of MPXV, which is endemic in west Africa and not as virulent as clade I MPXV, which so far has only been seen in the Congo Basin. That first mpox public health emergency of international concern was declared over in May 2023. Clade II MPXV infections are still occurring globally, but the worst seems over - for now. Complacency would be misguided, as illustrated by the current mpox outbreak that is gathering steam. <h2>Upsurge in Africa</h2>The African region is experiencing an upsurge in mpox cases, which started in 2023. As the continent which includes the areas where mpox has been endemic for a long time, Africa now presents a complex mosaic. The current clade I MPXV (formerly called Congo Basin strain) is more virulent than the clade II (west African) strain, resulting in a higher case fatality rate. The ongoing outbreak has its epicentre in South Kivu province, eastern DRC, and has the potential to fuel a large pandemic. It has a distinct epidemiological pattern with sustained chains of human-to-human transmission, often via the sexual route. It may have increased transmissibility (we don't know yet). The virus which causes it is the newly defined clade Ib lineage. It displays mutations that are the hallmark of human-to-human spread that is estimated to have been happening since September 2023. Case numbers are rising rapidly, even though many suspected cases are likely not tested and thus not counted as confirmed. Complicating matters, a commonly used test was found to miss infections with this lineage of the virus. It affects mostly adults. The case fatality rate is higher than it was in the 2022 global outbreak. Already, this outbreak has resulted in mpox cases occurring in several neighbouring countries, including some (like Kenya), with no previous record of mpox. The challenge is enormous. The eastern DRC is an area beset by multiple problems. This includes natural disasters, violence and infectious diseases including measles, cholera and poliomyelitis for the DRC. In recent years the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever took place in the wider area and, despite the availability of vaccines and treatments, posed considerable challenges. <h2>What needs to happen</h2>Equitable access to diagnostic tests, vaccines and antiviral treatments requires political commitment and financial investments. Scientific investigations are needed to learn more about exposure settings, transmission routes and clinical presentations. It's important to find the best ways to make these interventions. There is no doubt that a disease in one corner of the world can suddenly become a global heath threat. It's time the global health system woke up to this reality.

Mpox outbreak in Africa was neglected - it could now turn into the next global pandemic

<keyword id="19894886" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="china" source="keywords">China</keyword>'s top drug regulator has cleared a mpox vaccine developed by local drug firm Sinopharm for clinical trials which could be the country's first experimental dose to battle the deadly disease. The domestic vaccine candidate, created by the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products and administered by Sinopharm, is expected to play an important role in preventing and controlling mpox infections, the company said in a statement released on Monday afternoon. There is currently no approved mpox vaccine in China. Globally, a few vaccines have been approved in the United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan and Russia. In China, a vaccine candidate typically goes through three phases of clinical trials before gaining market approval. The process can take years, even decades. However, the National Medical Products Administration, China's top drug regulator, has launched a number of accelerated or streamlined channels to facilitate applications of novel drugs and vaccines or those in urgent need, state-run China Daily reported on Tuesday. According to the company, the new vaccine is a replication-deficient vaccine based on a strain called MVA. The description is the same as <keyword id="22925756" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="jynneos" source="keywords">Jynneos</keyword>, the world's first mpox vaccine approved by the <keyword id="20256595" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-and-drug-administration" source="keywords">Food and Drug Administration</keyword> in the United States in 2019. The <keyword id="19902256" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="keywords">World Health Organisation</keyword> said on August 14 that the mpox outbreak in <keyword id="19924003" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="africa" source="keywords">Africa</keyword> constitutes a public health emergency of international concern - its highest form of alert. Previously, in July 2022, the WHO declared a global emergency but then lifted it in May last year because of a sustained decline in international cases. So far, more than 120 countries and regions across the world have reported more than 100,000 confirmed infections and 226 related deaths. China reported its first imported case in September 2022 and the first domestic case in June last year. By the end of July, the nation had reported 2,567 confirmed cases, according to the China Daily report. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/ather-energy-looks-to-raise-3100-crore-files-ipo-papers-with-sebi/articleshow/113214971.cms">Ather Energy looks to raise ₹3,100 crore, files IPO papers with SEBI</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-16-pro-iphone-16-pro-max-india-price-specifications/articleshow/113204340.cms">iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max with bigger displays, A18 Pro chipset launched starting at ₹1,19,900</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-iphone-16-iphone-16-plus-price-specs/articleshow/113203568.cms">iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus with A18 chipset launched starting at ₹79,900</a>

China's drug regulator clears mpox vaccine; to undergo clinical trial

Having been declared a global health emergency by <keyword id="6366244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="who" source="Orion">WHO</keyword> just a few weeks ago, the dreaded <keyword id="20965747" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mpox" source="keywords">Mpox</keyword> (formerly <keyword id="7616951" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="monkeypox" source="Orion">monkeypox</keyword>) has slowly been closing in on India. And now, days after our neighbour <keyword id="19899252" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pakistan" source="keywords">Pakistan</keyword> confirmed its second Mpox case this month, India has also reported its first one this season. While feeling uncertain is understandable, the situation is far from dire just yet. On Monday, September 9, 2024, the <keyword id="19896140" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-ministry" source="keywords">Health Ministry</keyword> confirmed that a previously suspected case of Mpox was a travel-related infection. The patient, a young male, recently returned from a country experiencing ongoing Mpox transmission. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the West African clade 2 of the Mpox virus, which is distinct from the more dangerous clade 1 currently under a public health emergency. In its statement, the Ministry emphasised that this case is isolated and in line with the 30 previous Mpox cases reported in India since July 2022. The Ministry clarified that this case does not contribute to the WHO-declared public health emergency associated with clade 1 of Mpox, which has spread primarily in parts of <keyword id="19924003" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="africa" source="keywords">Africa</keyword>. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112542249" title="WHO has declared mpox a global health emergency. What happens next?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Patient condition and response measures </h2>The infected individual is isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. The Ministry reports that the patient is clinically stable, with no systemic illness or pre-existing conditions. Public health authorities have initiated contact tracing and monitoring to ensure the infection remains contained, stating that no widespread public health risk exists at this time. <h2>Mode of transmission and symptoms </h2>The global Mpox outbreak has primarily affected young males, with a median age of 34. The main mode of transmission has been sexual contact, followed by non-sexual person-to-person contact. The most commonly reported symptom is a rash, which can manifest either systemically or in the genital region, followed by fever. WHO data shared by the Ministry indicates that approximately 51.9% of Mpox cases involve individuals living with HIV. This underscores the need for targeted healthcare and awareness, especially in high-risk populations. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112561654" title="WHO calls for increased surveillance, sharing of data, vaccines to combat monkeypox outbreak" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Increased vigilance and preparedness </h2>Following the confirmation of this case, the Health Ministry has issued directives to all states and union territories, urging healthcare workers, particularly those in skin/STD clinics and NACO (<keyword id="20887701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-aids-control-organisation" source="keywords">National AIDS Control Organisation</keyword>) clinics, to stay alert to the signs and symptoms of Mpox. These clinics must be prepared for immediate isolation, clinical management, and treatment of complications, adhering to established protocols. The Ministry has also advised enhanced screening and testing of suspected Mpox cases, especially at airports and other points of entry, to prevent further transmission. <h2>Awareness and risk communication </h2>The Ministry has issued guidelines to state AIDS control societies, urging them to be vigilant in identifying suspect cases, especially among vulnerable populations such as female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM). Communities must be made aware of the disease’s transmission and symptoms, as well as the importance of timely reporting. Clear risk communication, particularly to healthcare workers and intervention sites such as skin and paediatric clinics, is crucial to prevent the spread of the virus. While the Ministry advocates for robust preventive measures, it also stresses the importance of avoiding undue panic among the general public. For now, the Ministry’s actions aim to ensure that India remains well-prepared to handle isolated Mpox cases, while working to prevent any major outbreak in the country. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112550492" title="Danish monkeypox-vaccine maker surges 17% after global health emergency declared" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

You Searched For "mpox outbreak" and got 4 results

Mpox outbreak: Understand what your insurance covers for Mpox treatment

Ira Alok Puranik

Mpox outbreak in Africa was neglected - it could now turn into the next global pandemic

PTI

China's drug regulator clears mpox vaccine; to undergo clinical trial

PTI

Mpox has finally infiltrated India, but how worried should we be about the viral disease?

BI India Bureau