The move follows the interim advisory of the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending smallpox vaccines for monkeypox. WHO has reported around 1,300 monkeypox cases worldwide, but none in India so far. The authorities are maintaining surveillance at airports and seaports to detect any cases.
According to Dr Samiran Panda, Additional Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) India will take its decision based on its own epidemiological information and disease transmission dynamics.
“India is doing robust surveillance and keeping a strong vigil. WHO advisory recommending smallpox vaccine for monkey pox will act as a guidance for us. The ministry of health’s immunization department will take a cognizance of it whether smallpox vaccine is really required or not because we do not have any confirmed monkeypox case in India," said Dr Panda. “We need to understand the disease transmission, how much the severity is, and other relevant epidemiological information. And then only the decision will be taken on the basis of scientific evidence."
Monkeypox and smallpox come from the same virus family, called Orthopoxvirus. Monkeypox is a viral infection that originated in rodents and primates and transmitted to people. It was found in Africa, mostly around tropical rainforest regions but has now spreading across the world especially in Western countries.
