Published By: Sayan Paul

First Suspected MPox Case In India: Here's How Our Nation Is Preparing Against An Outbreak

The patient has been isolated in a designated hospital and is now in stable condition.

Mpox has been declared as a public health emergency, with several regions of Africa struggling with rising cases. Amidst this, India on Sunday reported its first suspected case in a young man who recently traveled from a country with active Mpox transmissions. The Union Health Ministry revealed that the patient has been isolated in a designated hospital, and is now in stable condition. According to their statement, "Samples from the patient are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox. The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country."

Notably, Mpox is a viral infection caused by the Mpox virus (MPXV), leading to symptoms like fever, muscle aches, back pain, headache, low energy, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rashes among others. Although a self-limiting disease, it can cause death among those with weak immunity. Africa is currently suffering from a major outbreak with over 15,600 cases reported this year, and 537 deaths.

Credit: IANS

The Union Health Ministry said that "the development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the NCDC (National Centre for Disease Control) and there is no cause for any undue concern." They further added that the country has "robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk". In this article, let's have a look at some of the measures India has taken to prevent an outbreak.

Health System on High Alert

Last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) - its highest level of international alert. Within a few days, India got into action and held high-level meetings with top officials. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) held a meeting with experts to assess the risk for India, where they concluded that there would be a few imported cases in the country with little to no risk of a large outbreak. Moreover, the NCDC issued a Communicable Disease (CD) Alert on the virus, with the newer developments.

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Both central and state governments have put the health system on high alert and issued several guidelines to prevent the virus from spreading. Dr. P. K. Mishra, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, has directed an awareness campaign among healthcare workers about the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Heightened Surveillance At Airports, Ports, & Borders

To monitor incoming international passengers (especially from Africa) for signs of Mpox, the center has prompted heightened surveillance at airports, ports, and borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan. This includes better screening processes and the implementation of strict monitoring protocols for travelers. And with the first suspected case reported, surveillance has been enhanced even more.

Designated Hospitals, Testing Labs, And More

The central government has developed several designated hospitals (such as Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College) for better management of any potential monkeypox case. The state governments, on the other hand, have prepared many hospitals to manage Mpox cases – for everything from isolation to treatment and more.

India currently has 32 laboratories equipped for testing Mpox. Recently, the central government decided to build several more laboratories for the same to effectively manage any potential outbreak. All the Virus research and diagnostic laboratories (VRDLs) across India have been on alert for early diagnosis of the disease.

On the other hand, The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization recently granted approval to Siemens Healthineers for the manufacture of RT-PCR testing kits, which would reduce the turnaround time for reporting.

Mpox is indeed a major concern, and hence it's important to stay informed and remain prepared. However, there's NO NEED TO PANIC as our government is taking all the measures to curb its spread. Also, multiple vaccines have already been developed globally to protect against the disease.