Buffalopox

In news- India is witnessing increased buffalopox infections in recent times.

About Buffalopox-

Buffalopox is caused by buffalopox virus (BPXV), it is a Poxviridae for which the natural host is buffalo.
It mainly infects buffalo but has been known to infect cows and humans.
BPXV can be spread by sand flies and midges, and studies showed that the virus can also infect guinea pigs and suckling mice.
The zoonotic disease endemic to India, (first case globally recorded was in India in 1934) has its root in smallpox vaccines.
Live virus used to inoculate buffaloes to produce the smallpox vaccine in India evolved into buffalopox over time.
The first sample of the virus was isolated in 1967 and the WHO’s Joint Expert Committee on Zoonoses declared it an important zoonotic disease the same year.
When the virus infects milk animals it causes mastitis which reduces milk yield and the working capacity of draft animals.
In humans the virus causes lesions that are mainly confined to the hands, forehead, face, buttocks, and legs.
Human-to-human transmission has not been reported.
Milking of infected animals is one of the major modes of spread.
Exposure to infected laboratory animals or from laboratory accidents, such as needlestick injuries or self-inoculation of mucous membranes can also lead to an infection.
A vaccinia virus (VACV) case was recorded by WHO from India in September 2020 and VACV belongs to the orthopoxvirus family of which buffalopox is a close variant.