WHO announced mpox as a public health emergency of international concern
To prevent or minimise the risk of any case or death due to mpox in the country, the union health ministry has issued an advisory to the states.
While none of the samples and the suspected cases tested at the National Institute of Virology in Pune were positive, the disease surveillance network will continue to monitor for clustering of cases.
As per the advisory, a surveillance strategy has been issued by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for the states, including a list of laboratories where testing can take place, clinical management protocol and other communication strategies for infection prevention and control.
Senior officials of health facilities at the state and district levels will review public health preparedness.
Isolation facilities in hospitals for taking care of both suspected and confirmed cases should be identified. The ministry has instructed states to ensure trained human staff in such facilities.
The health ministry highlighted the need to strengthen disease surveillance units under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) for effective contact tracing.
States should pay special attention to healthcare workers, especially those in skin and STD (sexually transmitted diseases) clinics, to know about common signs and symptoms of mpox and actions that need to be taken after diagnosis.
Screening and testing to be done of all the suspect cases in the community, from hospital-based surveillance to intervention sites identified by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
"While all states are requested to undertake appropriate activities to make communities aware about the disease, its mode of spread, need for timely reporting and preventive measures, it is crucial that any undue panic amongst the masses is prevented," the advisory read.
In August, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced mpox (previously known as monkeypox) as a public health emergency of international concern. The decision was made because of the rising spread of mpox to several countries and the emergency of the new strain, clade 1b.
