NEW DELHI: The Centre will soon issue a detailed advisory to states and Union Territories on the new Mpox strain, which is more virulent, including its diagnosis, symptoms, and management, top sources said Wednesday.
India has so far not reported any cases of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, although global authorities have sounded an alert for this new fast-spreading variant of the virus.
Argentina quarantined a cargo ship over a suspected case of Mpox on the vessel when authorities were alerted that “one of its crew members of Indian nationality showed cyst-like skin lesions predominantly on the chest and face.”
The suspected individual was isolated from the rest of the crew, and the ship, which had been bound for the San Lorenzo port in the Santa Fe province, had to anchor in the river.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on August 14 declared Mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years. This was followed by the detection of a new variant of the virus, which spread rapidly in Africa. The next day, a case of the clade 1b variant was confirmed in Sweden, marking the first case outside Africa.
Indian authorities have stated that there is no need for panic and that they are prepared.
“We will soon be issuing an advisory to all the states and UTs on the new strain of Mpox,” Dr. Atul Goel, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) and Director of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), told this paper. He said this strain is more virulent and infectious.
“We had interacted with states earlier. This time we will update the guidelines on the new strain and provide information on its symptoms, diagnosis, and management,” he added.
“We are fully prepared to deal with the Mpox virus. Testing facilities have been set up in 32 ICMR labs, and isolation wards have been established in three hospitals in Delhi,” he said. The Prime Minister’s Office and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda have held review meetings on the Mpox situation in India.
In India, from 2022 to 2023, 30 cases were registered, of which 12 people were from foreign countries, and the rest were also from foreign countries but were living in India.
Dr. Goel said that Mpox is self-limiting and typically does not require treatment. “There could be complications in some cases, and deaths have been reported. Within two to three weeks, it generally resolves. India has not reported any cases so far. The risk of a large spread in India is unlikely at this time,” he added.
The ministry has already issued alerts to all points of entry for individuals who might report these cases.
“We have also asked states to establish designated institutions for the isolation and management of such cases as needed,” he added.
