Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sunday directed Secretaries and senior officials of various departments to enhance surveillance on Monkeypox or Mpox disease and undertake effective measures for prompt detection of cases.
These directions came from the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, P. K. Mishra, who chaired a High-Level meeting to review preparedness on Monkeypox.
The meeting was chaired by Mishra on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The high-level meeting was briefed that as of now, there is no reported case of mpox in the country. As per the present assessment, the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low.
At the meeting, Mishra also directed that the testing laboratories network should be geared up for early diagnosis. Presently, 32 labs are equipped for testing.
He directed that the protocols for prevention and treatment of the disease may be disseminated on a large scale.
Mishra further emphasised an awareness campaign be launched amongst the healthcare providers regarding the signs and symptoms of the disease and the need for timely notification to the surveillance system.
The High-Level meeting was attended by secretaries and senior officials from various departments, including Health, Home, Health Research and Disaster Management.
An official release issued after the review meeting said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to monitor the mpox situation in view of its declaration as a public health emergency of international concern by WHO.
Mishra was informed that Mpox infections are generally self-limiting lasting between 2-4 weeks; mpox patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management.
Mpox transmission happens through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient. It happens largely through the sexual route, direct contact with body/lesion fluid of the patient, or through the contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person.
Steps taken
Health Secretary Apurva Chandra outlined the steps that have already been taken in the last one week. These include a meeting of experts was convened by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on August 12, 2024 to assess the risk for India; A Communicable Disease (CD) Alert on Mpox issued earlier by the NCDC is being updated to capture the newer developments; Sensitization of the health teams at International Airports (Ports of Entry) has been undertaken.
It was also informed that on Sunday morning, a Video Conference was convened by the Director General Health Services (DGHS) with more than 200 participants. The health authorities at state level including the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) units in the States and at the Ports of Entry etc. were sensitized in this regard.
It may be recalled that the World Health Organization (WHO) has again declared Mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024 in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa.
As per an earlier statement from WHO, globally since 2022 from 116 countries, 99,176 cases and 208 deaths had been reported due to Mpox.
Subsequently, they have reported that Mpox cases have been steadily increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Last year, the reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15, 600 cases and 537 deaths. Since the 2022 declaration of Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO, 30 cases were reported in India. The last case of Mpox was detected in March 2024.
