New Delhi: A meeting of top health experts has been called today by the Center for revisiting the existing guidelines on the management of monkeypox amid the rising cases of the disease in the nation. So far India has reported nine cases of monkeypox including one death. Delhi reported its fourth case when a 31-year-old Nigerian woman was tested positive for the disease.
The meeting is being chaired by Dr. L Swasticharan, the director of Emergency Medical Relief, and is being attended by officials from the National Aids Control Organisation, and representatives from the National Center for Disease Control and World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to the Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease issued by the Center, any person having a travel history to affected countries within 21 days presenting an unexplained acute rash and symptoms is considered a suspected case. Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, headaches, body aches, and profound weakness.
The WHO has declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Earlier, a list of dos and dont’s were shared by the Union Health Ministry advising infected patients to be kept in isolation to prevent the spread of the virus. There should be no sharing of bedding, clothes, and towels. The anti-Covid protocol of handwashing, masks, and use of sanitizers should help in this case too.