Mpox Alert: Airports Directed To Increase Vigilance, 3 Hospitals Designated As Nodal Centers

On Monday, the Union health ministry instructed all airports and land ports on the borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan to be vigilant for passengers showing Mpox symptoms, as reported by PTI.

The health ministry has designated Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Hospital in Delhi as the nodal centers for isolating, managing, and treating Mpox patients. The Centre has also asked state governments to identify similar hospitals within their regions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the Mpox outbreak a global public health emergency due to a new variant. Since the outbreak began in January 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, there have been 27,000 cases and over 1,100 deaths, predominantly among children.

On Sunday, PK Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, led a high-level meeting to review India’s readiness for Mpox amid increased surveillance. Although there have been no reported cases in India so far, current assessments suggest a low risk of a major outbreak with sustained transmission.

“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,” an official source told PTI.

The health ministry has directed officials to enhance surveillance and implement effective measures for the early detection of Mpox cases. It emphasized the need for a robust network of testing laboratories for timely diagnosis. Currently, 32 laboratories in India are equipped to test for Mpox.

PK Mishra has urged officials to widely disseminate protocols for prevention and treatment and to conduct awareness campaigns for healthcare providers about the disease’s symptoms and the importance of timely reporting to the surveillance system.