Amid the rising cases of Monkeypox around the world, the central government has directed airport, ports and border authorities to remain vigilant, according to sources. However, three central hospitals- Safdarjung, RML and Lady Hardinge - are preparing for isolation like other facilities in case any infected person is found.
"We have alerted airports, ports and borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan. Three central hospitals will have facilities for isolation like Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge," say officials
According to sources, the Union Health Ministry held meetings with experts on the new variant of the Mpox scare which "is different" from the previous Monkeypox virus. "We had a meeting with states and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) last week. Point of entries are on alert. It's a self limiting virus. There is no correlation of Mpox with COVID. Nodal officers are already in Hospitals. Testing facilities are available at 32 ICMR centers. The symptoms of MPox are like of chickenpox," sources said.
"Chances of mortality is high but their is Low chance to affect India. This disease occurs with rashes," they added.
Principal Secretary to PM holds meeting
Earlier, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi PK Mishra led a review meeting to take stock of the nation's preparedness for Mpox. During the high-level meeting, it was briefed that there were no reported cases of Mpox in the country. According to the present assessment, the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low, however, the enhanced surveillance measures are in place to ensure prompt detection and response.
Notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified Mpox as a public health emergency of international concern due to its prevalence in various parts of Africa. However, no travel advisories have been issued by the WHO at this time.
(With ANI Inputs)
ALSO READ | Govt holds high-level meeting on monkeypox preparedness review
