Adopt sensible, not alarmist approach to deal with Mpox

Health officials have expressed concerns over the recent Government decision to allow visa-free entry for citizens of 35 countries as the cases of the monkeypox (Mpox) worldwide rise.

Officials said that most of the reported cases globally so far involve individuals with a travel history to countries with a high number of cases. The recently reported case in Thailand, one of the countries that has granted the visa-free facility, was a European man who had arrived from Africa, officials said adding that frequent travellers could be exposed to the disease.

He added that health authorities have been alerted by relevant officials to heighten monitoring at airports and seaports given the global situation. 

In mid-August the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the rise in Mpox cases constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), following advice from members of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee. A public health emergency of international concern is the highest level of alarm under international health law.

The WHO said that while Mpox cases have been spreading throughout many countries in Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives.

This year already saw over 14,000 reported cases of the virus with 524 deaths, a significant increase in reported cases from 2023. While the WHO has recommended and approved vaccines which are being used to combat the Mpox virus outbreak, the diseases can be fatal.

Since the WHO announcement declaring Mpox as a public health emergency, four countries outside the African continent, namely Sweden, Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan have reported cases.

For a world battered by the coronavirus from 2019 onwards, the growing cases of Mpox is alarming. For a country such as Sri Lanka which attracts tourists from around the world, there is the need to be extra vigilant to keep the country Mpox-free.

While the recent visa-free regime for many countries can be a cause for concern, that alone will not make the country high risk to exposure.

Even at present, Sri Lankan citizens visiting countries with certain highly infectious illnesses are required to take vaccines before travel while inbound tourists are required to declare if they have visited certain countries within a certain period of time so that there can be a tab on their travel history.

Given that the Sri Lankan tourist industry in particular suffered the most due to COVID-19 lockdowns and other restrictions, the country cannot afford any serious restrictions on travel. With the year-end tourist season also approaching, no doubt the country’s tourist industry is gearing up to attract as many foreign tourists as possible and benefit from their visits.

Not only do many thousands depend on tourism for their livelihood but the large income from tourism helped the country when it was in dire need of foreign exchange.

So, while caution is needed, there should be no unnecessary panic and alarm. Instead, there should be well-applied plans at airports and sports to ensure that if any suspected cases are detected, they can be placed in quarantine to ensure minimum exposure to others. The world and Sri Lanka have learnt a lesson from the COVID pandemic and that is not to resort to extreme measures but to deal with such situations sensibly. Neither the world nor Sri Lanka can afford any more extreme measures such as lockdowns; hence, vigilance is what is needed to keep such diseases at bay.