New Delhi: India’s health ministry is preparing an updated advisory and guidelines on Mpox, following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of a global emergency due to the spread of a more dangerous strain of the virus.
The revised guidelines, incorporating recommendations from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), will address measures such as identifying ill patients at entry points, isolating suspected and confirmed cases, conducting lab tests, and managing symptoms, prevention, and reporting. Additionally, the advisory will cover surveillance strategies, community awareness, and hospital infection control measures. The ministry is expected to release the updated advisory to the public soon.
The new Mpox strain, which has emerged in Africa, is more lethal than the variant detected in 2022 and can also be transmitted through sexual contact. As of June 30, 2024, WHO reported 99,176 confirmed cases, including 208 deaths, across 116 countries. The increased severity of the virus is evident from 537 deaths out of 15,600 cases reported since last year.
“It is crucial to raise public awareness about the common symptoms and the process for reporting them to a doctor,” the official previously quoted said. “As the virus could enter India through international travel, robust surveillance at entry points is essential.”
The Mpox virus, formerly known as Monkeypox, was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo but was largely overlooked until its global outbreak in 2022. The recent surge in Africa, along with the emergence of a new sexually transmissible strain, now poses an emergency not just for Africa, but for the entire world.
Mpox spreads through prolonged close contact, including sexual contact, with an infected individual. It can be transmitted via bodily fluids or lesions of the patient, contaminated clothing or linens, and occasionally through objects and surfaces touched by an infected person.
Infections are typically self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, with patients generally recovering through supportive medical care and management.
Preventing the virus from entering India is challenging. “Given the way the virus is spreading globally, it is difficult to prevent it from reaching any country, including India, due to high global mobility,” said Raman Gangakhedkar, former scientist and national chair at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
He added that case numbers in the country will only increase if people conceal their infections and fail to report them to doctors. Emphasizing that there is no immediate cause for panic, Gangakhedkar said, “We need to focus on educating the public. The government’s decision to enhance surveillance, particularly at airports, is the right approach.”
