 "Enhance surveillance for prompt detection of mpox cases: P K Mishra | India News")
Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary P K Mishra
The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, P K Mishra, on Sunday directed officials to enhance surveillance and take effective measures for the prompt detection of Mpox cases, at a high-level meeting to review the status of preparedness for the Mpox virus in the country and related public health measures.
The meeting was also attended by V K Paul, member, NITI Aayog, Health Secretary Apurva Chandra, Home Secretary-designate Govind Mohan, and Rajiv Bahl, secretary, health research.
This comes after Mpox, or monkeypox virus, was again declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa. Since then, cases have also been reported in European countries and Pakistan.
It was previously declared a PHEIC in 2022. According to an earlier statement by the WHO, 99,176 cases and 208 deaths have been reported globally since 2022.
“Subsequently, they have reported that Mpox cases are steadily increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths,” the health ministry said in an official statement.
The high-level meeting was briefed that, as of now, there is no reported case of Mpox in India, and the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low, according to a statement by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
It was also informed to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister that the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has already convened a meeting of experts to assess risk, with the body regularly issuing updates to a communicable disease alert on Mpox for capturing newer developments.
Earlier on Saturday, a meeting was chaired by Health Minister J P Nadda with senior officials from the health ministry to evaluate the Mpox situation and the country’s preparedness.
“It was decided that as a matter of abundant caution, certain measures such as sensitising the health units at all airports, seaports, and ground crossings; readying the testing laboratories and gearing up health facilities for detecting, isolating, and managing any cases are put in place,” the ministry said in a statement.
Similarly, the Directorate of Public Health (DPH) in Tamil Nadu also ordered health officials across the state to be on high alert. Strict screening protocols are to be implemented for passengers arriving from central African countries affected by the outbreak.
In an advisory, the state’s Director of Public Health, T S Selvavinayagam, instructed health officials to familiarise themselves with the clinical presentation of Mpox and to scrutinise the travel histories of any patients who have visited the affected regions in the past 21 days.
First Published: Aug 18 2024 | 8:32 PM IST
