New Delhi, Aug 28 (IANS): Chicken pox vaccine can be effective against Mpox, the infectious disease, causing a deadly outbreak in Africa, according to a Professor at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Speaking to IANS, Dr Gopal Nath of BHU’s Microbiology Department, contended that the chicken pox vaccine can be effective as the symptoms of both the diseases are similar.

"Most of its (Mpox) symptoms are similar to chicken pox, hence it can be said that the chicken pox vaccine given in the 80s will be very effective on it," he said.

At least 14 countries in Africa are currently reeling under a deadly Mpox outbreak, driven majorly by the more virulent Clade Ib. As a result, it has been recently declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Outside Africa, the Clade Ib has caused infections in Sweden and Thailand, where one case each has been reported.

On Monday, WHO also launched a Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Mpox to end human-to-human transmission.

The spread has been termed as another pandemic, akin to Covid-19. However, Nath disagreed, stating that it is not transmissible as SARS-COV-2, the virus behind Covid.

"In comparison to coronavirus, Mpox is not very dangerous. Coronavirus had the ability to spread much faster,” the Professor told IANS. He noted that "India is on full alert mode regarding the increasing threat of Mpox".

"Our Health Department team is also fully alert."

Meanwhile, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved an indigenous RT-PCR test for the deadly infectious disease that delivers results in just 40 minutes. The novel test by Siemens Healthineers can produce results significantly faster than traditional methods (which take 1-2 hours). This can help reduce the turnaround time for reporting, leading to quicker responses.