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The rapid spreading of monkeypox virus is a threat for global public health: What should we do to fight this old enemy? 1 | BACKGROUND A zoonosis known as monkeypox (MPX) is brought on by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), a kind of Orthopoxvirus similar to the smallpox virus, a member of the Poxviridae family. 1,2 The MPXV was initially identified in 1958 at a laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark, had an epidemic of a pox-like illness among monkeys. A newborn baby aged 9 months was the first human MPX case identified in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Then, six MPX confirmed cases were identified until May 1971 in West African nations. Since then, the virus has been verified in thousands of humans across 15 different nations. 3 The first epidemic beyond the African nations was seen in the United States in 2003 after the importation of infected animals from Ghana. 4 Since MPX re-emerged in Nigeria in 2017, a few individuals affected with MPXV have been reported outside Africa among people who have recently traveled to Nigeria or contacted people visiting Nigeria. 5 In 2018, three MPX cases were detected in the United Kingdom, Israel, and Singapore for the first time, demonstrating that the virus was exported from Nigeria to countries other than its endemic regions. In 2021, two people affected by MPXV were detected in the United States among travelers from Nigeria, one in Maryland and the other in Texas. In the central, northwestern, and southwestern parts of Africa, 25 suspected individuals were identified on February 17, 2022, along with three verified cases and two fatalities. On March 14, 2022, six MPXV cases with two fatalities were reported from the Central African Republic. From the first day of 2022 to mid-April 2022, throughout 14 territories of DRC, about 1,152 MPX probable cases were recorded in 54 health centers, including 55 fatalities with a mortality rate of 4.8%. From the first day of 2022 to April 30, 2022, Nigeria reported 46 probable cases of MPX, including 15 confirmed cases. 6 The European region recorded the highest confirmed cases of MPX. Two types of MPXV circulate in endemic areas-the Central African (Congo Basin) clade and the West African clade; the latter causes less severe disease and mortality. 7

Mental illness is a neglected issue all over the world. The development of negligence towards mental illness could be due to the stigmatized attitudes. Also, social stigma due to mental illness is prevalent in many south Asian countries. In Bangladesh, the condition is even worse than regional data in Asia. The general people consider media as a primary source of information about mental health. However, mental health professionals (MHP) have direct contact with psychiatric patients and their family members. Therefore, both MHP and media professionals (MP) have a role in reducing social stigma due to mental illness. The present study aimed to identify attitudes of MHP and MP towards each other in reducing social stigma due to mental illness. We conducted a cross‐sectional online survey among 174 participants (80 MHP and 94 MP). We used two sets of self‐reporting questionnaires to assess the attitudes of MHP and MP towards one another. Also, we collected and analyzed sociodemographic profiles of study participants. We observed significant differences in terms of their profession‐related statements between MHP and MP. Also, we have seen significant gaps between MHP and MP in terms of their complete agreement on attitude‐related aspects. However, most respondents agreed that stigma due to mental illness is a vital problem in Bangladesh. Moreover, maximum participants accepted that the current public images about psychiatry and media role in reducing social stigma need to be improved. We observed gap between MHP and MP in their roles and beliefs in reducing social stigma due to mental illness in Bangladesh. Reciprocal training and awareness programs would help them in reducing social stigma due to mental illness. The findings of the present study would help to sort out the possible areas for interventions. However, the present study has few limitations; therefore, we recommend further studies with more homogeneous and large samples to make better conclusion.

The COVID-19 pandemic responses forced the authority to shut the educational institutions since March 17, 2020, in Bangladesh. Physical distancing, social isolation, and quarantine have become regular norms in our daily life due to the pandemic crisis. This extended shutdown separated the students from their academic life, increasing anxiety concerning their future education, personal and professional aspirations, and expectations. Such disruptions might increase vulnerability towards suicidal ideation among university-level students. Therefore, here we aim to assess the prevalence and related risk factors of suicides among university students in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 lockdowns. We conducted a comprehensive Google search to gather information from secondary sources. In total, 22 university students committed suicide from March 17, 2020, to June 10, 2021, in Bangladesh. The frequently reported causes of these suicides were depression, frustration, financial crisis, troubled love affairs, and family disputes, indicating an elevated prevalence of psychological distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic among students at all levels in Bangladesh. Based on the present findings, we suggest that the effective implementation of online education, financial support to families, mental healthcare support to this vulnerable group, and mutual understanding among the family members might reduce this death toll. The present findings might help researchers to understand students’ mental health and design programs accordingly to prevent future incidents.

Background and Aims Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the fourth biggest health‐related concern that dramatically impacts individuals' mental and physical health. Alteration of serum proinflammatory cytokine levels may take part in the development and progression of MDD. We aimed to explore and compare the role of interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) in MDD patients and healthy controls (HCs) and its involvement with the disease severity. Methods The present study included 85 patients and 87 age‐sex matched HCs. A qualified psychiatrist utilized the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition (DSM‐5) criteria to diagnose patients and evaluate HCs. We applied the Ham‐D rating scale to measure the severity of depression. Serum IL‐12 levels were measured using ELISA kits. Results We observed a notable increase in the serum levels of IL‐12 in MDD patients compared to HCs (164.27 ± 10.18 pg/ml and 82.55 ± 4.40 pg/ml; p < 0.001). Moreover, we noticed a positive correlation between serum IL‐12 levels and Ham‐D scores in MDD patients ( r = 0.363; p = 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed a good predictive performance (AUC = 0.871; p < 0.001) at the cut‐off point of 53.46 pg/ml for serum IL‐12. Conclusion The current study findings support that IL‐12 levels are involved with the pathogenesis and inflammatory process in MDD. At the same time, this involvement may make this cytokine eligible for the risk evaluation of MDD. However, we recommend further interventional studies to explore more accurate associations between IL‐12 and depressive disorder.

Background and Aims Problematic internet use (PIU) by children and adolescents is a concern for many parents. Several factors, including students’ education level, the method of instruction, the dependence on the internet, and their intended use of the internet, could all be contributing factors to PIU and depression. Disturbed mental health may be attributed to the cancellation of physical education classes because of the COVID‐19 outbreak. This study aimed to assess the association of COVID‐19 pandemic with PIU and depressive symptoms in adolescent students. Methods We performed this cross‐sectional study among 491 school‐going adolescents of 10 to 16 years. Self‐administered questionnaires were applied to collect sociodemographic information and the internet usage pattern of the participants. We measured the prevalence of PIU and depressive symptoms using the PIU questionnaire (PIUQ‐SF‐6) and patient health questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9). Results The estimations of the risk group for PIU and depressive symptoms among school‐going adolescents were 80.04% and 77.80%, respectively. The latent profiling of PIU scores for obsession, neglect, and control sub‐groups were 5.82, 6.12, and 6.35, respectively. Moreover, we observed mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms in 48.68%, 27.70%, and 1.43% of cases. Age, education level, medium of education, financial impression, internet connection, the device used, the purpose for internet use, and the living status of respondents were significantly associated with the PIU. Reported mental health issues was associated with education level, medium of education, financial impression, and internet connection. Conclusion The present study revealed an association of PIU and depressive symptoms with sociodemographic factors and internet usage patterns. Therefore, these results might have practical implications in clinical psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy. The healthcare professional can develop a context‐specific comprehensive clinical intervention plan for children and adolescents.