Sri Lanka has detected two cases of Monkeypox, including a child, the Ministry of Health reported today.
The Director General of Health Services stated that a mother and daughter returning from overseas had tested positive for Monkeypox.
They had been detected on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake after having arrived from Dubai.
The Director General of Health Services stated that the infected individuals are currently being treated at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (IDH).
Sri Lanka’s last monkeypox cases were detected in November 2022. The patients were Sri Lankans who had arrived from Dubai in November 2022.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.
With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important Orthopoxvirus for public health. (NewsWire)