Monkeypox: International travellers arriving in Delhi with monkeypox symptoms such as high fever and back pain will be sent to the LNJP Hospital from the airport. The decision was taken in a review meeting chaired by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Monday.
The Delhi government has asked district authorities and officials concerned to adhere to the Centre's guidelines on the management of the infection, which also state that referral arrangements from airport/port to identified link hospital need to be established or strengthened.
'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre
- Human-to-human transmission of monkeypox occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.
- It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person.
- Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation.
- The incubation period is usually from six to 13 days and the case fatality rate of monkeypox has historically ranged up to 11 per cent in the general population and higher among children. In recent times, the case fatality rate has been around three to six per cent.
- The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy. A notable predilection for palm and soles is characteristic of monkeypox.
- It was stressed that health facilities should keep a lookout for people who complain of an unexplained rash and have travelled in the last 21 days to a country that has recently had confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox.
- The samples of suspected patients will be sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
Also Read | Monkeypox suspect with foreign travel history admitted to Delhi's LNJP Hospital: Sources
A 34-year-old man from Delhi with no history of foreign travel tested positive for monkeypox, taking India's tally of cases to four.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far.
Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Atul Goel on Sunday reviewed the monkeypox situation in the country and directed the National Centre for Disease Control to carry out a detailed epidemiological investigation of the cases. In the meeting, the need for a targeted approach towards high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) was highlighted. As NACO is the nodal agency which works towards preventing the spread of HIV and control of sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive tract infections, it was asked to frame guidelines for high-risk groups of monkeypox. It typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks.
Also Read | Int'l travellers with monkeypox symptoms to be sent to LNJP Hospital from Delhi airport: Sources
