Step up surveillance for quicker viral infection mpox detection: Centre

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P K Mishra on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness for the Mpox outbreak and directed officials to enhance surveillance for prompt detection of virus transmission.

The development came after Mpox or Monkeypox virus was again declared as 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 the European countries and Pakistan.

“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 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,  it said.

Indian exporters are keeping their fingers crossed amid the outbreak in Africa, as the continent is a crucial region for domestic exports.

According to exporters, though the spread of the disease is contained in certain countries, it would be a challenge, if it spreads to more nations.

"As of now, the spread is not rampant, but looking into the infection, the exporters are definitely concerned, hoping it will not spread," Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Director General Ajay Sahai said.

Monkeypox 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.

 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 the airports, seaports, and ground crossings; readying the testing laboratories and gearing up health facilities for detecting, isolating and managing any case 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, 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. (With PTI inputs)