India
Mpox in India: Centre issues advisory after first suspected case | India News – Times of India
NEW DELHI: The Secretary of the Union for Public Health Apurva Chandra on Monday issued an advisory to states and union territories on the precautions, symptoms and causes of Mpox.
Chandra, in the advisory, asked the state/UTs to disseminate and take action on the updated CD-Alert on Mpox issued by NCDC. It contains details of surveillance strategy (including epidemiological case definitions, contact tracing, etc.), list of laboratories engaged to conduct testing, clinical management protocol, infection prevention and control practices and risk communication strategy.
He also directed the states to assess the preparedness of public health especially at the health facility level at state and district level by senior officials and identification of isolation facilities in hospitals for treatment of suspected as well as confirmed cases, availability of required logistics and trained human resources in such facilities and expansion plan. He also asked for orientation of all key stakeholders.
He further said in the advisory that all states are urged to take appropriate measures to raise awareness among communities about the disease, but it is critical to avoid unnecessary panic among the masses.
According to the advisory, Mpox primarily affects young men with a median age of 34 years, with sexual transmission being the most common method, followed by non-sexual face-to-face contact. Approximately half of cases with available information on their HIV status are reported to be people living with HIV. Common symptoms include rash (including systemic or genital rash) and fever.
Chandra further said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide all necessary support to the states and UTs.
Meanwhile, a suspected case of Mpox was reported in Delhi in which a man had recently returned to India from abroad. The patient, who is currently stable, has been placed in isolation at a designated hospital and samples are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox.
The case is being handled according to established protocols and ongoing contact tracing is underway to identify possible sources and assess the impact within the country.
Since 1 January 2022, Mpox cases have been reported to WHO from 121 Member States in all six WHO regions. The WHO Mpox report of 3 September 2024 provides global data through 31 July 2024. A total of 102,997 laboratory-confirmed cases and 186 probable cases, including 223 deaths, have been reported to WHO.
In July 2024, 1,425 cases and six deaths were reported globally. More than half of these cases were from the African region (55%), followed by the Americas region (24%) and the European region (11%). The Southeast Asia region (SEAR) reported 1 percent of the total cases.
Chandra, in the advisory, asked the state/UTs to disseminate and take action on the updated CD-Alert on Mpox issued by NCDC. It contains details of surveillance strategy (including epidemiological case definitions, contact tracing, etc.), list of laboratories engaged to conduct testing, clinical management protocol, infection prevention and control practices and risk communication strategy.
He also directed the states to assess the preparedness of public health especially at the health facility level at state and district level by senior officials and identification of isolation facilities in hospitals for treatment of suspected as well as confirmed cases, availability of required logistics and trained human resources in such facilities and expansion plan. He also asked for orientation of all key stakeholders.
He further said in the advisory that all states are urged to take appropriate measures to raise awareness among communities about the disease, but it is critical to avoid unnecessary panic among the masses.
According to the advisory, Mpox primarily affects young men with a median age of 34 years, with sexual transmission being the most common method, followed by non-sexual face-to-face contact. Approximately half of cases with available information on their HIV status are reported to be people living with HIV. Common symptoms include rash (including systemic or genital rash) and fever.
Chandra further said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide all necessary support to the states and UTs.
Meanwhile, a suspected case of Mpox was reported in Delhi in which a man had recently returned to India from abroad. The patient, who is currently stable, has been placed in isolation at a designated hospital and samples are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox.
The case is being handled according to established protocols and ongoing contact tracing is underway to identify possible sources and assess the impact within the country.
Since 1 January 2022, Mpox cases have been reported to WHO from 121 Member States in all six WHO regions. The WHO Mpox report of 3 September 2024 provides global data through 31 July 2024. A total of 102,997 laboratory-confirmed cases and 186 probable cases, including 223 deaths, have been reported to WHO.
In July 2024, 1,425 cases and six deaths were reported globally. More than half of these cases were from the African region (55%), followed by the Americas region (24%) and the European region (11%). The Southeast Asia region (SEAR) reported 1 percent of the total cases.
