Amid rising cases of Monkeypox in 12 countries, Bangladesh has stepped up surveillance and asked its port and airport officers to be vigilant and isolate sick persons travelling from affected countries with symptoms or history of the disease.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has issued warnings at every port in the country to prevent the spread of the new virus, Monkeypox, which has been detected in at least 12 countries.
According to DGHS spokesperson Dr Nazmul Islam, "We have asked all the ports including air and land ports to be vigilant. If a suspected patient arrives, they should be identified and rushed to an infectious disease hospital."
"There is no need to panic about Monkeypox. We are monitoring the overall situation. We will take data from all over the world and we will take whatever action is required," he said on Saturday (21 May).
According to the WHO, Monkeypox typically manifests in humans with fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.
Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding that usually occur in forested parts of Central and West Africa. The virus has sparked concerns in at least 12 countries including the UK, US, Belgium, France, Germany, Canada and Italy.
Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from two to four weeks.
It can also take a severe from, with the WHO saying the case fatality ratio has been around 3-6 per cent in recent times.
