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Dr. Chandima Jeewandara raises concerns over Monkeypox

23 May 2022

By Dinitha Rathnayake                                                                                                                     Sri Jayewardenepura University Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology Head Dr. Chandima Jeewandara raised concerns over the Monkeypox virus. Speaking at a press conference over the weekend, he said that from 13 May to 21 May, 92 cases were reported worldwide, mainly from Western countries, including the UK, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the US, which is an unusual situation. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) is concerned because new cases have been found without travel links to the endemic regions of the Monkeypox virus, which is endemic in African countries. Symptoms of the virus such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion, are similar to dengue and other illnesses.” He also said the virus currently does not exist in Sri Lanka. Transmission of this virus is mainly through very close contact with a person or direct contact with contaminated objects that a patient has used, according to Dr.Jeewandara. “Compared to Covid-19, this is not an unknown virus. It has existed for many decades and there are effective treatments available to treat the virus. Apart from that, there is a licensed vaccine specific to this virus that is available. Sometimes children, pregnant mothers, and people with weakened immune systems may get the severe disease, but very rarely,” he added Sri Lanka has the necessary means to test for and diagnose Monkeypox. It is detected by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and genetic sequencing can also be carried out. Dr. Jeewandara stated that the laboratories in Sri Lanka have all the necessary infrastructure to diagnose the disease, and that the relevant reagents have been ordered already.


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