New Delhi, August 17: In view of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring monkeypox or MPOX a public health emergency (PHEIC), the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has become alert. On Saturday, Health Minister JP Nadda along with senior officials of the ministry conducted a detailed review of the status and preparations of monkeypox. At present, no case of monkeypox has been reported in India.
According to the ministry, in a meeting chaired by the Union Health Minister, it was decided that extreme caution should be taken at health units at all airports, ports and ground crossings. Along with making these places more sensitive, emphasis should be laid on preparing testing laboratories, preparing health facilities to detect, isolate and manage any case, etc. At the same time,
a joint monitoring group meeting of experts from the concerned fields was held on Friday under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health Services to review the situation. The meeting was attended by experts from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Central Government Hospitals, All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS, World Health Organisation (WHO), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Directorate General of Health Services. The preparedness should be in place in view of the possibility of some imported cases being detected in the coming weeks.
It is notable that monkeypox infection is usually self-limited between 2-4 weeks and patients usually recover with supportive management. Transmission requires prolonged close contact with an infected case and is generally through the sexual route, body, wound fluids, or direct contact with contaminated clothing, linen of the infected person.
