After mpox reached Pakistan and Europe from Africa, India has sounded an alert and set up nodal centres.
The Union Ministry of Health has asked all airports and border crossings with Pakistan and Bangladesh to be alert regarding incoming persons with mpox symptoms, officials told PTI.
The officials further said that the Centre has also designated three hospitals in Delhi as nodal centres for isolation, management, and treatment of any patient with mpox. They are Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung, and Lady Hardinge hospitals
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox outbreak in Africa as a global health emergency. As of July 28, Africa has recorded around 14,250 mpox cases with at least 456 deaths. While 10 countries have recorded cases, 96 per cent of all cases have been in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the vast majority of patients have been children.
Mpox is a viral disease that spreads either from close physical contact (including sexual) with an infected person or from a scratch or a bite from an infected animal. Eating or drinking something contaminated by an infected animal may also spread the disease. The disease causes fever along with rash and lesions on the body. The complications include pneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, etc.
Top official chairs meeting
Amid mpox scare abroad, PK Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, chaired a meeting to review the preparedness.
Officials told PTI that there are so far no cases in India. They added that the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low
An official source said, “The virus strain this time is different and is more virulent and infectious. But the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low in the country as per the current assessment.”
Directing increased surveillance, the Centre stressed that the network of testing laboratories should be geared up for early diagnosis of the disease, as per the agency.
Mishra on Sunday said protocols for prevention and treatment of the disease should be disseminated on a large scale, stressing the importance of running an awareness campaign among healthcare providers about the signs and symptoms of the disease and the need for timely notification to the surveillance system, according to news agency.
Since 2022 when the last major outbreak was reported abroad, 30 mpox cases have been recorded in India. The last case was reported in March.
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Amid mpox scare, India puts airports & border crossings on alert, marks 3 hospitals as nodal centres
