The central government on Monday issued an advisory to all states to screen and test all suspected cases of mpox. The government recommended the isolation of confirmed cases, as well as contact tracing to minimise the risk of transmission.
However, the government has said “it is crucial that any undue panic amongst the masses is prevented”.
The Centre has urged the states and union territories to identify hospitals to prep isolation facilities and stand ready to receive suspected and confirmed cases, which will need increased resources.
According to the Health Ministry’s directive, dissemination of guidelines on “management of monkeypox disease” and of a detailed surveillance strategy for tracking of suspected cases and contact tracing – similar to exhaustive measures at the height of the Covid pandemic is recommended.
The advisory also offers a list of “laboratories operationalised to undertake testing, clinical management protocol, infection prevention and control practices, as well as risk communication strategies.”
The ministry further called for a “review of public health preparedness, particularly at health facility level at state and districts by senior officials”. This should include briefing healthcare workers, “especially those working in skin/STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinics, about symptoms, differential diagnoses, and action to be taken following detection of a Mpox case”.
Moreover, the ministry referred to the latest update by the World Health Organization, which indicated that a majority of monkeypox patients are men between the age of 18 and 44, and present with rash (systemic or genital) followed by fever as the most common symptoms to ensure the information is widely available.
No confirmed case has been reported from India so far. On Sunday, the ministry reported a suspected case in a man who recently returned from a country where confirmed mpox cases have been reported was isolated and his samples are being tested. His conditions is reported as stable.
Last month, following the surge in mpox cases, the WHO declared the outbreaks as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. No confirmed case has been reported from India so far.
