The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has launched a dedicated hotline for reporting mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) cases in Bangladesh. Individuals exhibiting symptoms of mpox are urged to contact 16263 or 10655 immediately.
The DGHS issued a press release on Saturday providing details about mpox, an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. Symptoms of the disease include painful rashes, swollen lymph nodes, and fever, with the virus having spread to several countries including the Central African Republic, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya.
The press release emphasized the importance of vigilance, advising anyone who notices symptoms in themselves, has been in contact with an infected person, or shows symptoms within 21 days of traveling to an infected country, to promptly reach out to the provided hotlines.
Mpox, although first identified in monkey colonies in Denmark in 1958, remains a public health concern with its origins still unknown. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global health emergency twice in recent years, as the virus continues to spread beyond its traditional regions in Central and West Africa.
Recently, a more dangerous strain of the virus has caused a significant number of cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, prompting renewed international attention.
