Last August, WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency for the 2nd time in 2 years, following an outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo that spread to neighbouring countries.
Over 2,60,000 doses of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine have been donated by the European Union, the Government of the United States, and Gavi with support from Africa CDC.
The UK is working closely with international partners, including the World Health Organization and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to monitor the situation and respond to any potential outbreaks.
The current outbreak has been raging since early this year in Africa. Over 17,000 Mpox Clade 1 cases have been reported, with just over 500 fatalities.
The humanitarian crisis in Congo has displaced millions, which increases the risk of the infection spreading to other African countries that are ill-prepared to contain an outbreak.
A close relative of the variola virus, monkeypox can spread through skin-to-skin contact and sexual intercourse. It’s not an STI, only behaving like one.
Until now, units operating even in recognised industrial areas needed a separate factory licence. The move is expected to especially give a boost to small and medium enterprises.
As Narendra Modi becomes India’s second-longest consecutively serving Prime Minister, we look at how he compares with Indira Gandhi across four key dimensions.
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