Vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Professor Md Sharfuddin Ahmed on Saturday issued early warning over possible transmission of zoonotic virus in the country.
Suggesting people to take precautionary measures to avert being infected by the deadly virus, he said the government should strictly test people who are entering Bangladesh from other countries.
"More than 17,000 monkeypox patients have been detected globally, whereas no case of the virus is yet to be reported here," he said at a press conference at BSMMU's Shaheed Doctor Milon Hall on Saturday.
People of the country need to be careful with taking required precautionary measures to stem the disease from spreading, he said, adding that the BSMMU has taken all preparation to treat patient if cases are detected. "If someone shows symptoms close to monkeypox, they should be kept in isolation," he said.
Referring to the cause of monkeypox infection, he said the virus can spread through direct contact. It can also be transmitted by respiratory droplets, he said, noting one can also become infected through close physical contact with infected person.
Complications seen in cases of monkeypox include permanent lesions, disfiguring scars, secondary bacterial infections, bronchopneumonia, respiratory distress, keratitis, corneal ulceration, blindness, septicemia and encephalitis," the BSMMU VC said.
Various researches have been indicating that the monkeypox virus is spreading from animals, hence pet owners must protect themselves from the animals' bites, scratches and saliva, according to him.
Among the infected persons, 74 per cent of the patients so far are accustomed to polygamy while 26 per cent of the patients are HIV positive. Besides, 90 per cent of patients are children under 15, he mentioned.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh recorded 349 new Covid-19 cases along with 3 deaths due to the viral disease across the country in the last 24 hours till Saturday morning.
With the latest figures, the entire number of coronavirus infections rose to 2,004,892.
The infection rate was 6.64 per cent as the daily caseload came from medical screening of 5,256 samples from 880 labs across the country.
Of the fatalities, Chattogram division reported two while remaining one was reported in Sylhet division.
During the same period, a total of 763 people recovered from the viral disease, taking the total number of recovery to 1,941,542.
