- The Central Government has issued a new advisory to states and Union Territories regarding the Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak.
- The 2024 Mpox outbreak is linked to a more virulent clade of the virus, requiring urgent attention to prevent its spread in India.
- States are advised to raise public awareness, enhance health preparedness, and ensure rapid isolation and testing of suspected cases.
What Does the New Monkeypox Advisory Mean for India?
In response to a new outbreak of Mpox (formerly known as Monkeypox), the Central Government has urged all states and Union Territories to take swift action. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the current outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024. This is the second time the WHO has raised such an alarm for Mpox under international health regulations. The latest outbreak is linked to the more virulent and transmissible Mpox virus clade I, which is more dangerous than the previously seen clade II.
According to the advisory, India has reported a case of Mpox clade Ib, becoming the third non-African country, after Sweden and Thailand, to detect this strain. The outbreak began in 2022 but has since worsened, with the virus spreading outside Africa.
How Is the Government Responding to the Outbreak?
The Indian Health Ministry has outlined a series of steps to prevent the virus from spreading further. States and Union Territories have been instructed to raise public awareness about the disease, its symptoms, and its modes of transmission. Timely reporting and isolation are critical to stopping the spread. Senior health officials have been tasked with reviewing preparedness at hospitals and district health facilities to ensure they can handle both suspected and confirmed cases.
Isolation facilities in hospitals need to be identified, and health workers should be properly trained in infection prevention measures. Suspected cases of Mpox should be isolated immediately, and samples from skin lesions should be sent to designated labs for testing. For confirmed cases, samples will also be sent to ICMR-NIV for genome sequencing to determine the virus clade.
India is equipped with robust testing capabilities. There are 36 ICMR-supported labs across the country, along with three commercially approved PCR kits validated by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), ensuring that testing can be done swiftly.
Conclusion: A Call for Vigilance
As India faces this new Mpox challenge, it’s clear that proactive steps are necessary to prevent a wider outbreak. The government is closely monitoring the situation, and the Health Ministry is prepared to offer full support to states and UTs. However, public awareness and preparedness at the community level remain crucial. By ensuring timely reporting, isolation, and testing, India can reduce the risk of Mpox spreading further.
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