As per the health ministry guidelines, the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme network (IDSP) along with health facilities have been asked to remain alert about the cases. It has advised that even one case of monkeypox is to be considered an outbreak
‘Antiviral medicines may shorten monkeypox virus symptoms, reduce contagious phase’: Lancet Study. AFP
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday released detailed guidelines to states and Union Territories on surveillance, identification, confirmation and treatment of the monkeypox disease in the country.
According to a report by the Agence France-Presse, since the first confirmed monkeypox case reported in Britain on 7 May, nearly 400 suspected and confirmed cases have been reported to the WHO in nearly two dozen countries far from the states where the virus is endemic.
Even though no such cases of the viral disease have been reported in India, the Union Ministry’s advisory aims to tackle the problem preemptively.
What is monkeypox?
Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same Orthopoxvirus genus that also includes smallpox-causing variola virus.
Monkeypox is a zoonosis, a disease that is transmitted from infected animals to humans.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, hence the name ‘monkeypox’, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The WHO says that cases occur close to tropical rainforests inhabited by animals that carry the virus.
The infection has been detected in squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, and some species of monkeys.
It spreads by a bite or direct contact with an infected animal’s or person’s blood, meat or bodily fluids, and initial symptoms include a high fever before quickly developing into a rash.
People infected with it also get a chickenpox-like rash on their hands and face.
Must read: Monkeypox: World already has vaccine, medicines to control the outbreak; details here
What are the Centre’s guidelines for monkeypox?
As per the guidelines released by the health ministry, for a person to be suspected to have the infection, they must have a history of travel to the affected countries in the last 21 days. Presence of an unexplained rash and any of the other symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, body ache, and profound weakness should also be treated as suspected cases.
The ministry said clinical specimens collected through a PCR test, similar to the one done for COVID-19, would have to be sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV)), Pune, through Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme network (IDSP).
The IDSP has been asked to remain alert about the cases along with health facilities, especially skin clinics, clinics for sexually transmitted diseases, medicine clinics, and paediatrics clinics.
The ministry has said that even one case of monkeypox is to be considered as an outbreak.
The guidelines also give details on treating skin rash, genital ulcers, oral ulcers, conjunctivitis, dehydration, fever, itching, nausea, vomiting, headache, and malaise.
During the period of isolation, the patients have to monitor for signs such as pain in eye and blurry vision, shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty in breathing, altered consciousness, seizures, decreased urine output, poor food intake, and lethargy.
The ministry has advised international passengers to refrain from eating or preparing meat from wild game (bushmeat) or using products such as creams, lotions and powders derived from wild animals in Africa, besides avoiding close contacts with sick people, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions.
The “Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease” issued to the states and Union territories include an annexure — advisory for international passengers — which recommends that these passengers should avoid contact with dead or live wild animals such as small mammals, including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes).
The contacts of suspected infected cases will be monitored at least daily for the onset of signs or symptoms for a period of 21 days (as per case definition) from the last contact with a patient or their contaminated materials during the infectious period.
The government had earlier ordered surveillance of all international entry points and also asked for samples of travellers from Africa, showing symptoms to be set to NIV, Pune.
The airport health authorities have also been asked to familiarize themselves with symptoms of monkeypox and conduct strict thermal screening and history of travel.
With inputs from agencies
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