Can Mpox virus spread through air like Covid-19? Medical experts answer

Respiratory droplets might play a role in the spread of Mpox but not as efficiently as Covid19 or even flu said infectious disease experts on WednesdayMpox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions The disease is currently seeing an outbreak in Africa with over 14000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported and the World Health Organization WHO has declared it a global health emergencyIt majorly causes fevers headaches and muscle aches as well as painful boils on the skin It spreads from person to person through close skintoskin contactAccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC prolonged facetoface interactions such as talking or breathingrdquo may increase the risk of transmission The WHO also maintains that respiratory droplets and possibly shortrange aerosols can result in Mpox transmissionldquoThis suggests that respiratory droplets might play a role in transmission That being said its considered to play a lesser role in transmission dynamics as compared to direct intimate contact and sexual contact which are the primary modes of transmissionrdquo Dr Dipu T S Professor and Unit Chief Infectious Diseases Department Amrita Hospital Kochim told IANSA recent study published by the University of New South Wales in Australia showed that the current outbreak caused by the Clade 1 strain has reported 70 per cent of cases and 88 per cent of deaths in children in the Democratic Republic of Congo DRCldquoThe predominance of children in the DRC epidemic suggests transmission may be respiratory In fact smallpox and Mpox are respiratory viruses and Mpox has been identified in ambient airrdquo the researchers notedThe study showed that the variola virus smallpox was highly airborne ldquowith the potential to transmit over long distancesrdquoAnother study by a team of Spanish researchers in a 2023 study published in the journal The Lancet Microbe also showed that Mpox raised the risk of transmission indoors in poorly ventilated roomsReferring to the US CDC Dr Lancelot Mark Pinto Consultant Pulmonologist and Epidemiologist P D Hinduja Hospital ampamp Medical Research Centre said that the keywords are ldquoprolongedrdquo and ldquofacetofacerdquoldquoUnlike highly transmissible airborne viruses such as influenza and SARSCoV2 Mpox isnrsquot likely to spread during casual short encountersrdquo Pinto told IANSldquoFamily transmission sexual partner transmission and caregiver transmission is much more likely and therefore such encounters would need added protectionrdquo he addedThe 20222023 global outbreak of Mpox was caused by a strain known as clade IIb Since 2022 the WHO has reported 99176 cases and 208 deaths due to monkeypox from 116 countriesA total of 30 cases were detected in India with the last case in March 2024Global scientists claim that if the more pathogenic Clade I Mpox becomes highly transmissible between humans it may pose a greater pandemic threat than Clade IIbHowever Hans Kluge WHO regional director for Europe in a recent media briefing stated that Mpox regardless of Clade IIb or Clade Ib is not the new Covid as speculated He said health authorities know how to control its spreadAlso ReadMpox Mumbai doctors highlight why the viral disease is deadlyCurrently there is no proven treatment against MpoxBavarian Nordicrsquos MVABN vaccine JynneosImvanex approved in the US Europe and Canada is the leading Mpox vaccine worldwideIn addition KM Biologicsrsquo LC16 vaccine is available in Japan and Emergent BioSolutionsrsquo ACAM2000 is also under regulatory review for Mpox in the USThe Serum Institute of India SII the worlds largest vaccine maker has also announced plans to develop a vaccine for MpoxldquoSerum Institute of India is currently working on developing a vaccine for Mpoxrdquo said CEO Adar Poonawalla in a statement adding that the company will share ldquopositive news within a years timerdquoldquoTo prevent the transmission of Mpox the general public should avoid close contact with infected individuals and practise good hygiene by regularly washing hands and disinfecting surfacesrdquo Dipu told IANSThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever