Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday asked the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to keep a close watch on the monkeypox cases in India as a rise in cases have been reported in other countries.
He also asked the health officials to keep a close watch on the sick passengers travelling from the affected countries and send their samples to NIV Pune for investigations.
Meanwhile, the UK government said it was stocking up on smallpox vaccines to help guard against a rise in cases of monkeypox, a viral infection similar to smallpox. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it has detected 11 additional cases of monkeypox in England, which takes the total number of confirmed cases for the country since early this month to 20.
As cases of monkeypox are detected in Europe and North America, some scientists who have monitored numerous outbreaks in Africa say they are baffled by the unusual disease's spread in developed countries.
Interestingly, cases of monkeypox were detected in Britain, Spain, Portugal, Italy, US, Sweden and Canada, mostly in young men who hadn't previously travelled to Africa.
(With ANI Inputs)
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