On Monday, the government issued recommendations for contact tracing, isolation of confirmed cases, screening, and testing of all suspected cases of monkeypox in an effort to “prevent and/or minimize risk of any case or death due to Mpox in the country.”
It is recommended that states and union territories identify hospitals to prepare isolation units and be prepared to receive suspected and confirmed cases, which will require more resources. The administration added that it is “crucial” to prevent “undue panic among the masses.”
Consequently, the Health Ministry has suggested disseminating guidelines regarding the “management of monkeypox disease” along with a comprehensive surveillance plan for monitoring suspected cases and locating contacts—similar to the comprehensive actions taken during the peak of the Covid pandemic.
It offered a list of “laboratories operationalized to conduct risk communication strategies, clinical management protocol, infection prevention and control practices, and testing.”
The ministry further called for a “review of public health preparedness, particularly at health facility level at state and district levels by senior officials.” This should involve educating medical professionals about the symptoms, differential diagnoses, and next steps to take when a Mpox case is discovered, “particularly those working in skin/STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinics.”
The most recent update from the World Health Organization, which stated that fever and rash (genital or systemic) are the most common symptoms of monkeypox, was cited by the Health Ministry to ensure that information about the disease and its common symptoms should be widely spread. The majority of monkeypox patients are men (aged 18 to 44).
The WHO assessed the possibility of the current outbreak spreading outside of Africa, where a spike in cases has been reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as from other countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Last month, Mpox was declared a PHEIC, or Public Health Emergency of International Concern. There is also a new strain from the DRC, scientists said.
Five cases have been reported from Pakistan, but no confirmed case has been reported from India as of yet, according to the media. The most recent patient, a 47-year-old man, tested positive on August 29 after Border Health Services personnel isolated him. He had returned from the Gulf region.
According to the WHO, immunizations can be given both before and after a person comes into contact with an infected person. “In these cases, the vaccine should be given less than four days after contact (and) can be given for up to 14 days if the person has no symptoms.”
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