TAX REFORMS RELEASED VAT 12% (31-05-2022)

 

The Gota-Ranil government has proposed certain tax reforms to be implemented over the immediate and near term to increase government revenue. 

The Value Added Tax has been increased from 8% to 12%. In addition, the Telecommunication Levy was increased from 11.25% to 15% with immediate effect.

Sri Lanka introduced a low tax regime in late December 2019 which resulted in the revenue to GDP ratio declining to 9.1 percent in 2020 from 12.7 percent in 2019 and further deteriorating to 8.7 percent in 2021.

Issuing a statement, the Office Prime minister said the implementation of a strong fiscal consolidation plan is imperative through revenue enhancement as well as expenditure rationalization measures in 2022 and beyond to ensure macroeconomic stability to support the medium to long-term economic growth objectives of the country.

Proposed tax reforms are as follows.

· VAT to be increased from 8% to 12%

· Telecom Levy to be increased from 11.25% to 15%

· Reduction of Personal Income Tax relief from Rs. 3 Million to Rs. 1.8 Million

· Impose Withholding Tax (WHT) on service payments exceeding Rs. 100,000

· Corporate Income tax to be increased from 24% to 30%

· VAT registration threshold reduced from Rs. 300 Million to Rs. 120 Million

 In addition, Finance Ministry has given directions to increase the Import Levy, VAT to 12% & Surcharge on Customs Duty for a number of imported items.

    · Tyres for cars, motorcycles & trishaws

    · ACs, washing machines, rice cookers, microwaves, fridges

    · Mobile phones

    · Other electrical appliances

    · Chocolates

    ·  imported yogurt, butter, and spreads

    ·   Apple, grapes, and dates

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DUMINDA SILVA’S PRESIDENTIAL PARDON WAS CANCELED BY THE SUPREME COURT, AND CID ORDERED ARREST (31-05-2022)

 

Another episode of political drama is about the street gunfight between thugs in the Kolonnawa area representing two main political parties in Sri Lanka. One got shot to death, and the other said he barely saved the life. But he was brought to mighty justice and sentenced to the death penalty. Political power gambling played a nasty role against the law and justice. This episode is about arresting the notorious handsome again.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today decided to suspend the presidential pardon that had been granted to former Parliamentarian Duminda Silva. The order was issued after the court heard two petitions that had been filed by former MP Hirunika Premachandra and her mother Swarna Premachandra challenging the presidential pardon granted to Silva.

The Colombo High Court imprisoned Silva for life in 2016, over the murder of former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, the father of former MP Hirunika Premachandra.

Silva had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the decision of the Colombo High Court. However, the Supreme Court upheld the verdict on the murder conviction by the High Court.

Thereafter, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa granted a special Presidential pardon to Duminda Silva on 24th June 2021. After his release from prison, Silva was appointed as the Chairman of the National Housing Development Authority in August.

With the pardon cancellation, The Supreme Court also ordered a travel ban on Duminda Silva and called for his passport to be impounded. The criminal investigation department (CID) is to arrest Duminda Silva. He was spotted at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) earlier this month with many reports claiming that he had left the country. However, it is yet to be confirmed if he had returned or not.

By Polito

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DOLLARS FLOW TO JVP GOVERNMENT – TILVIN SILVA (30-05-2022)

 

The Legendary Political icon, unblemished people’s leader Tilvin Silva of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has claimed it can bring an overseas income in billions when they form a Government.

Sri Lankan Protestors are now echoing a common theme.

“GO HOME”

Corrupted parties keep shifting power for 74 years. People are disappointed and fed up. They say “GO HOME” we need better options; we have better options. Some oppressed are whimpering for a system change and some out loud against mainstream political parties. They all asked for a corruption-free country.

The JVP Chief Secretary Tilvin Silva expressed that the party will be able to bring in 1.5 to 2 billion dollars from overseas remittances monthly if it takes over the government tomorrow.

Speaking during a public gathering, he further said that the JVP will coordinate the program through the party’s overseas offices.

Tilvin Silva said the party’s overseas offices can encourage expatriate workers to remit their earnings through official channels. Stating that the JVP had a program to overcome the current crisis, he said the President had ignored it.

“After Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as the Prime Minister, we called for a media briefing and announced that we are prepared to take over the government in an interim capacity. We demanded the Head of State to step down as a condition that would’ve paved the way for the Speaker to become the Acting President,” he said.

Tilvin Silva further said that although the National Peoples Power has three members in Parliament, they were hoping to obtain the support of a few others to form a Cabinet.

He added that the JVP was hoping to bring a motion to abolish the Executive Presidency, provide concessions to the public, and then call for an election in six months.

By Polito

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SRI LANKA'S AGRICULTURE SECTOR CRISIS: A LOOK BACK

 

Sri Lanka is facing an economic crisis that has severely impacted many sectors, with the government's incorrect and arbitrary decisions being blamed for the situation. The country's agriculture sector has also been hit hard, with farmers bearing the brunt of poor decision-making.

The crisis in the agriculture sector began on April 27th, 2021, when the Import and Export Control Department banned the imports of fertilizer and agro-chemicals. Farmers were severely affected by this move, and their cultivation went to waste, leading to street protests demanding the import of fertilizer.

Here is a look back at the gradual decline of the agricultural sector that followed this decision:

August 5th, 2021

Cabinet approval was granted to import 99,000 metric tons of organic fertilizer produced using seaweed, from China's Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group. The consignment was valued at 63.6 million US dollars.

September 2021

The ship, 'Hippo Spirit,' carrying 20,000 metric tons of Chinese fertilizer left the Qingdao Port.

August 2021

The National Plant Quarantine Service detected harmful bacteria in Chinese fertilizer samples, and experts warned that importing fertilizer containing harmful bacteria could affect the agriculture sector.

October 2021

The Agriculture Minister said that the samples were not brought in line with safety conditions and called for another test.

29th October 2021

The second test confirmed the presence of harmful bacteria, leading to the suspension of the consignment's importation. Sri Lanka's state-run fertilizer companies went to court, and the Colombo Commercial High Court issued an order preventing People's Bank from paying for the shipment.

The ship carrying the Chinese fertilizer shipment reached Sri Lankan waters, but it continued to travel around the country by changing its name. The fertilizer shipment remained in Sri Lankan waters for more than 70 days, and the Chinese company announced that it would go for arbitration in Singapore. Amidst all this, Sri Lankan farmers held protests demanding the rejection of the Chinese fertilizer shipment.

26th October 2021

The Chinese company sent a letter of demand, warning of legal action against Sri Lanka's National Plant Quarantine Service. The samples were then re-tested in a lab agreed by both parties, and the results did not indicate the presence of harmful bacteria. The Hippo Spirit ship left for Singapore, and both parties reached a settlement, leading to the Court lifting the order preventing payments.

January 7th, 2022

Sri Lanka paid 6.9 million US dollars for the fertilizer shipment, and the Hippo Spirit ship remained in China. The Agriculture Minister then assured that fertilizer would be imported under proper standards by the same Chinese company after placing a 5 million USD guarantee. He assured that the ship would go back, and new samples would be sent, which would be tested by the National Plant Quarantine Service.

Five months have passed since the Agriculture Minister made these remarks, and no fertilizer shipment has reached the country. What happened to the payment made for the shipment also remains uncertain.

As a result of poor decision-making, the government had to pay 6.9 million US dollars, which is equal to about 2.5 billion rupees today.

Liquid Nitrogen

The government then took steps to import liquid nano nitrogen fertilizer from India, which was imported at twice or thrice the cost of the market value of the product. However, it was revealed in Parliament that 290 million rupees had been deposited into a personal bank account during this transaction, and a selected few profited as the agriculture sector fell deeper into crisis.

All these actions led to farmers facing massive losses as their harvests declined due to the fertilizer shortage.

By Polito

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JVP’S SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY STRENGTHENING CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT - NPP/JVP LEADER – ANURA DISSANAYAKE (28-05-2022)

Addressing the media conference, MP Anura Dissanayake expressed their opinion on the recently proposed 21^st amendment of the constitution.” 

We are in favor of an amendment that strengthens democracy. It should not be an amendment that turns out to be a hoax”.
Accordingly, we will be agreed if the existing constitution is amended in the direction of strengthening democracy. But it should not be an amendment that turns out to be a mere hoax.
Even when the 19^th amendment was introduced, instead of thinking about democratic principles, the power demands of Maithripala Sirisena’s and Ranil Wickremesinghe’s center of powers were embedded in that 19^th amendment. Therefore, instead of bringing in amendments to strengthen democracy, there was a distortion due to the advancement of power interests.

There were two instances where healthy amendments had been made to the constitution of our country. One is the 17^th amendment. However, in 2010 Rajapaksa regime abolished the 17^th amendment and introduced the 18^th amendment.

Subsequently, the 19^th amendment was adopted as a step in the direction of democracy, taking advantage of the special political situation that arose in 2015. However, Gotabhaya and the Mahinda Rajapaksa family used their power in the last general election to remove the 19th amendment and pass the 20^th amendment in parliament.

It is ironic in history that the same group who had repealed the 19th and needed the 20th are preparing to repeal it and bring in the 21st amendment. Also, there are those who had raised their hands for the 17^th,18^th,19^th, and 20^th are now preparing to bring the 21^st amendment. Nimal Siripala and Susil Premajayantha are such people.

There have been constitutional amendments that change each clause for each instance of power gambling. However, the 21st amendment to the constitution is now before us. As a political movement, we believe that this constitution, which has been torn down and attached at various times, should be completely changed and a completely new system of government brought into our country. But we know that these rulers are not going to bring a new constitution.

But, when the 20^th amendment was passed in parliament, the minister of justice and the president stated that a new government would bring in a constitution within a year.

It is clear that, even with the introduction of the 21^st amendment, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa wanted to consolidate power. Therefore, our proposal is that the president should not be able to hold any ministerial post as per the 19^th amendment. However, the proposed 21^st amendment has not created such an obstacle for the president. He has the power to take over and retain ministerial posts. About a month ago the president was in charge of all the ministries in the country.

On several occasions, the president has removed ministers and taken over their powers. We emphasize that the president should not have the opportunity to take over any ministerial post. Only then can it be assumed that some amendment was included in the executive presidency?

The central committee member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa also participated in this occasion.

-Switching parties-
Also, the transfer of MPs from one party to another has created a great deal of confusion. There is a history of switching parties for positions and privileges, to save cases, to save crimes, and to strengthen bank accounts. Some MPs jump here and there at every crucial moment in parliament. Parliament does not become a reflection of the true opinion of the people.
The original text of the 19^th amendment had created obstacles to this. The original version had the ability to remove a member of parliament by a speedy course of action if he was transferred to another party. However, after Wijedasa Rajapaksa accepted an amendment brought by Dinesh Gunawardena after it was presented to parliament, that important amendment was withdrawn from the 19th amendment. Therefore, we emphasize that provisions should be included in this constitutional amendment to prevent MPs from shifting sides.

 -The power to pardon-
The president has been given the power to pardon. He can release those sentenced to death and those imprisoned for life. Case decisions may be suspended. Only part of a judgment can be enforced. The president has been given discretionary power over court decisions.
In the recent past, this power has been used to liberate criminals and rapists. Prisoners of murder were released. There were allegations that a large bribe was exchanged for political reasons as well as the release of those responsible for the royal park massacre.
Therefore, we suggest that the power to grant this freedom should be subject to certain restrictions. Our lawyers are considering what restrictions should be imposed in this regard. The 21^st amendment should limit the president's discretionary power to pardon.
 

-No dual citizens in power-

The next point is the issue of dual citizenship. Currently, the 21st amendment stipulates that the president and ministers cannot hold dual citizenship when running for office.
Former central bank governor arjuna Mahendran is a dual citizen. The governor of the central bank who had the greatest power over the financial control of our country was a dual citizen. Eventually, he became involved in major central bank fraud and fled to his home country. Therefore, we propose that the appointment of persons to important institutions in the country should include a resolution that does not allow dual citizens.
 

-Auditing MPs’ assets-

There are a lot of discussions going on about whether MPs’ assets should be audited. Our position is that accuracy cannot be selected by audit alone.
Also, the audit department does not have full powers to do so. Therefore, after the declaration of assets and liabilities by the members of parliament and the people's representatives, an inquiry can be conducted only on the basis of the declaration of assets and liabilities. Citizens can request within that period.
We suggest that clauses should be included to request the public to provide information to these investigative agencies if they have information on property that has been misappropriated by public representatives and to authorize investigative agencies to conduct a full investigation based on that.

 

- Reduction of presidential powers-

Also, the amendment of the powers of the executive presidency will give a significant amount of powers to the prime minister, parliament, the cabinet, and the constituent assembly elected by parliament. In short, the powers vested in the president are vested in various structures. An important point here is to delegate powers to the prime minister and parliament. The current prime minister lost in the parliamentary elections.
He was a rejected man who had barely slipped from the national list. This amendment to the constitution gives special powers to the prime minister. From a democratic point of view, ranil Wickremesinghe is not qualified to hold the post of prime minister with such special powers. Because of a prime minister who was rejected by the people.

- Limit the term of the current parliament-

As the prime minister with the additional powers vested in himself by the 21st amendment, he has no right to assume responsibility. Therefore, we propose to include a time limit on the current parliament as an interim provision in this constitutional amendment. The term of this parliament should be shortened by including an interim provision in this amendment.
Our proposal is to limit the term of this ninth parliament to two to three years.
After that, the people will have the opportunity to elect members of parliament and a prime minister through a new parliamentary election. Such a parliament and a prime minister should be empowered by the 21st amendment. Otherwise, a well-appointed prime minister has no right to exercise the powers vested in him by the 21st amendment.
Therefore, as the most important amendment in this constitution, we propose to include interim provisions with a time limit on the current parliament and to make these amendments effective after the election of a new mandate, parliament, and a prime minister.

-Appointing ministry secretaries-

Another important aspect is the appointment of secretaries to ministries. Recently the secretaries of the ministries were transferred at will. Appointed. It was said that an administrative service officer was appointed to the ninth post under this government. When the president completed two and a half years of service, a secretary was transferred to nine places.
The same goes for the heads of institutions. If fraud and corruption are not allowed according to the political requirements, they will be transferred. When a very wrong agricultural policy was brought, the secretary to the ministry of agriculture was abruptly transferred due to his opposition. In this situation, there is a proposal that the secretaries to the ministries should be appointed by the constitutional council.
We hope to submit a number of such proposals to the 21^st amendment. Based on these proposals, we are discussing other proposals. We plan to present our proposals regarding the 21^st amendment.

MP Anura Dissanayake answered journalists …

The prime minister has invited us to discuss the 21^st amendment at 4.00 pm today. We have no place for conspiracies with the prime minister. The minister of justice has given us the 21^st amendment. It has been requested to send proposals in writing for this. Those written proposals have been requested today. But we received this draft on the evening of the 25th. Because of this, we will need about two more days.

We hope to submit our proposals in writing to the minister of justice. Also, when the draft is passed, it must first be gazetted. Should be given to parliament. Then he should come to the consultative committee of parliament. After that, you should come to the consultative committee of the ministry of justice. At such times we look forward to presenting our suggestions and ideas.

We have to come to parliament to get this passed. We hope to present our amendments to parliamentary committees. Negotiations inside palaces that are not like that are useless.
Is it a lack of advice to well govern the country for the president? There are tons of advice. Do these people in government need new advice not to steal? Do these people need new advice not to break the rules? Should new advice be given not to waste public wealth?
 
This is not a problem that can be solved by consulting services. The people have a protest against the members of this parliament. All these members of parliament have been elected by the people of that province. Power is in the hands of the people who call for a new parliament. That is why the people of our country should be given an opportunity for a new mandate. Then get ready for new advice in each field.
But this parliament cannot solve problems through advisory services. These problems can only be solved by establishing a government with a strong, new economic and political agenda.
It is not justifiable for a person who could not even come to parliament now to get more powers through the 21^st amendment. Since the 21^st amendment gives new powers to the parliament and the prime minister, a new parliament must be elected to exercise those powers. The term of office of this parliament should be limited by including an interim resolution in the 21^st amendment. As it is specific to this parliament only.
Ranil Wickremesinghe had said that a new budget should be brought. He also said that the credit limit should be increased, and some tax amendments should be brought. Once those amendments are listed and submitted for a period of time and passed, other actions can be taken. If there is an urgent legal amendment to resolve the current economic crisis, we can consider it and extend our support.
There was no one to give the post of prime minister?
There were enough people in line to pick it up. But Gotabhaya gives to the person he wants from those in the queue. It is given to someone who is not a threat to the Rajapaksa family and becomes a definite protector.
Sajith Premadasa’s practice is like writing love letters after getting in the bridal shower. It doesn't work. S.J.B. formed with the basic foundations of the united national party. They may be saying that they are ready to take positions to protect that base.

 

No matter how many misconceptions we have about the president, he has proved that he is not fit for the chair, but constitutionally and under the 20^th amendment he has the right to hold that position. However, the 21^st amendment gives the prime minister some of the powers vested in him by the president. This prime minister and any member of parliament appointed as the prime minister is not qualified to obtain those new powers. A special situation arises. As the prime minister has new powers in parliament, the people must be allowed to elect a new parliament and a new prime minister to exercise that new power. Parliament and the prime minister are elected by the people with the understanding that they have the power to do so.

 By polito news

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TWO-YEAR IMPRISONMENT FOR FORMER CABINET MISTER’S WIFE (27-05-2022)

 

Shashi Weerawansa was sentenced to Two-Years imprisonment due to the use of forged documents to obtain a passport. The victim is the wife of former Cabinet Minister Wimal Weerawansa. The Colombo Magistrate’s Court also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on Shashi Weerawansa when the case in this regard was taken up for hearing today.

Weerawansa is accused of fraudulently obtaining two passports, including a diplomatic passport, by submitting forged documents to the Department of Immigration and Emigration.

Weerawansa, who had submitted documents with forged names and dates of birth to obtain the passports, was initially arrested in February 2015 and later released on bail. Thereafter, in July 2020, the Colombo Chief Magistrate issued a warrant on Shashi Weerawansa.

Wow, factor in the Sri Lankan justice system that all political companions get five-star facilities in prison. By acquiring a medical report from the Jail’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Imprisoned political companions are allowed to stay in the Jail Hospital with all facilities.

Not only Shashi Weerawansa but her husband, former cabinet minister Wimal Weerawansa also should bring to justice for abusing his official powers and support. That’s how System change can be imposed.

Polito News

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SRI LANKA IN DISCUSSION WITH INDIA FOR US$1BN SWAP, EXPECTS US$1.5N FROM ACU -(26-05p2022)

Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe has said that Discussions are underway with India for a billion US dollar swap, and another 1.5 billion US dollars are expected from deferred payments under the Asian Clearing Union.

India has already deferred about 1.5 billion US dollars from payments due under the Asian Clearing Union to India on imports.

Sri Lankan importers pay about 500 million US dollars every two months to the central bank to be remitted to India. “They have agreed to defer that,” Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told parliament’s COPE Assembly.

“We have used about 1.5 billion so far. There is another 1.5 billion that will collect at the Central Bank over the next six months. In addition, we are discussing with India to get from RBI a swap facility of about one billion US dollars. That is at the discussion level.”

Sri Lanka has received 500 million US dollar oil credit for petroleum and are have agreed to give another 500 million dollars, Governor Weerasinghe said.

By Polito

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54 BILLION DEBT DEFAULT

The People’s Bank chairman Sujeeva Rajapaksa issued a statement with clarifications referring to defaulted debts of MP Daya Gamage.

Sending this letter is the first thing PM Ranil Wickramasinghe did as soon as he swore as finance minister.

However, the letter says“We haven’t written off the 3 billion debts of Daya Gamage. We are currently going through the litigation process to recover the due amounts from the respective parties.”

Also, the cope report regarding Peoples Bank Defaulted debts stated the content. “The total amount of 54 billion defaulted debts yet to be recovered from 10 leading companies. The list includes leading companies belonging to UNP Senior leader Daya Gamage’s Daya Apparel Group (3 Billion), Mendis Arrack —Arjun Aloysius (3.2 Billion), and Yashoda group in the spotlight with 24 billion.

Mihin Lanka and Nawaloka Group were also among the top ten. Why are ordinary citizens harassed when they miss a single repayment in these tough times.

The entire nation is accusing the Bank officials of their delay in action in the recovery process and expressed the uncertainty about Prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe’s debt recovery actions upon his loyalists.

Also, I suggest the People's Bank and other bank union leaders start action regarding this matter. put pressure on your organization towards correct directions.  

By Polito

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CID SUMMONS JOURNALIST DARSHANA HADUNGODA (25-05-2022)

 

Journalist, YouTuber, and political vlogger Darshana Hadungoda has been summoned by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) unofficially without properly written documents.

His YouTube channel SL Deshaya is known for political commentary. He has declined to give a statement, claiming that the police never sent him an official notification calling him in for questioning. No reason for the summons was communicated to him in writing either, he said.

He speaks for system change and against corrupted politicians. most importantly he is directly criticizing politically biased corrupted media companies. He speaks against wrong media practices for commercial benefits.

“I did not get an official written notification from the CID to summon me for questioning.  No legal document was provided. They just gave a call and told me to come,” Handungoda addressed reporters at CID premises on Wednesday.

Lawyers representing Handungoda said a letter was handed over to the CID asking for an official document mentioning the reasons.

“This only demonstrates one thing and that is that the whole system is politicized. The police have also been politicized. It is bad to bring ordinary, unarmed citizens like us to these places to fulfill someone’s personal agenda,” said Handungoda.

Darshana Hadungoda is not alone, Polito is with him against the corrupted system and for the betterment of this country.

By Polito  

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PRIME MINISTER RANIL WICKREMESINGHE TOOK OATH AS SRI LANKA’S NEW FINANCE MINISTER (25-05-2022)

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was today sworn in as the Minister of Finance, Economic Stability, and National Policies by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

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UN ASSURES ASSISTANCE TO CURRENT ECONOMIC CHALLENGES OF SRI LANKA (23-05-2022)

The discussions were made with UN Resident Coordinator Hanaa Singer this morning by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof, G. L. Peiris, regarding multiple impacts arising out of the current economic situation, such as the supply of essentials, and concerns regarding food security and livelihood matters.

 The Minister underscored that the Government has anticipated the difficulties that may arise in the times ahead and is taking precautionary measures to mitigate the impact. The Foreign Minister explained the steps taken by the Government to ensure political and economic stability in the country, including the ongoing negotiations with the IMF and the World Bank. 

The Foreign Minister stated that a central mechanism with the participation of key Government agencies as well as the UN and donor countries is under consideration in order to address the urgent needs of the people, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable sectors of society. He also went on to explain the measures taken by the Government to address the shortage of essential supplies as well as issues encountered by the agricultural sector in consultation with bilateral partners. 

The UN Resident Coordinator assured Foreign Minister that the fullest support of the UN to the Government in securing international assistance, addressing the shortages of essential supplies, and also the concerns relating to issues such as unemployment and malnutrition. The Resident Coordinator stated that the UN would make a multi-sectoral appeal in this regard. She thanked Foreign Minister Prof. Peiris for regular engagements and briefings and assured him that the UN would continue its cooperation with the Government of Sri Lanka. 

Polito...

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MONKEYPOX VIRUS CONFIRMED IN 12 COUNTRIES (22/05/2022)

 

The World Health Organization has said another 50 suspected cases are being investigated - without naming any countries - and warned that more cases are likely to be reported.

Monkeypox is mostly found in West and Central Africa, but additional cases have been seen in Europe and other parts of the world in recent years. Those cases are typically linked to international travel or imported animals infected with the pox, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) said.

Belgium introduces quarantine for monkeypox cases.

Belgium has become the first country to introduce a compulsory 21-day quarantine for monkeypox patients after reporting four cases of the disease in the last week.

Belgian health authorities took the decision on Friday, according to Belgian media. Monkeypox contact cases are not required to self-isolate but should remain vigilant particularly if they are in contact with vulnerable people.

Monkeypox is a disease in the same family as smallpox and symptoms include a distinct bumpy rash, a fever, sore muscles, and a headache. Monkeypox is less deadly than smallpox, with a mortality rate below 4 percent, but experts are worried about the unusual spread of the disease beyond Africa where it usually circulates.

What are the initial symptoms of monkeypox?

There is an incubation period of some seven to 14 days, the CDC said. Initial symptoms are typically flu-like, such as fever, chills, exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness, followed by swelling in the lymph nodes, which help the body fight infection and disease.

"A feature that distinguishes infection with monkeypox from that of smallpox is the development of swollen lymph nodes," the CDC said.

Next comes a widespread rash on the face and body, including inside the mouth and on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

The painful, raised poxes are pearly and fluid-filled, often surrounded by red circles. The lesions finally scab over and resolve over a period of two to three weeks, the CDC said.

"Treatment is generally supportive as there are no specific drugs available. However, a vaccine is available that can be given to prevent the development of disease," Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said in a statement.

How is monkeypox spread?

Close contact with an infected individual is required for the spread of the monkeypox virus, experts say.

Infection can develop after exposure to "broken skin, mucous membranes, respiratory droplets, infected body fluids or even contact with contaminated linen.

When the lesions have healed, the scabs (which might carry the infectious virus) can be shed as dust, which could be inhaled

Where did monkeypox originate?

Monkeypox got its name in 1958 when "two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research," the CDC said. However, the main disease carrier of monkeypox is still unknown, although "African rodents are suspected to play a part in transmission. The first known case of monkeypox in people was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a period of intensified effort to eliminate smallpox. 

After 40 years with no reported cases, monkeypox reemerged in Nigeria in 2017, the CDC said. Since then, there have been more than 450 reported cases in Nigeria and at least eight known exported cases internationally.

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