First Mpox case confirmed in India, Center advises states to test; Test all suspected cases

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Monday revealed that a person who had recently left the country has tested positive for pox.

“A previously suspected case of mpox was confirmed as a travel-related infection. Laboratory testing confirmed the presence of mpox virus of West African clade-2 in the patient,” it said.

The ministry said it was an isolated case, similar to the 30 cases reported in India since July 2022. It is not part of the current public Health emergency reported by the WHO regarding pox clade 1, it underlined.

“A young man experiencing mpox transmission who recently traveled from the country is currently isolated in a designated tertiary care isolation facility. The patient is clinically stable and free of any systemic illness or comorbidities,” the ministry said.

The case is aligned with previous risk assessments and is being managed according to established protocols, noting that public Health measures including contact tracing and monitoring are active to confirm the situation.

“There are currently no indications of any danger to the public,” the Health ministry said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) last month declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time in view of its outbreak and spread to many parts of Africa. As highlighted by the WHO, the decision was taken in view of the trend of ever-increasing cases of pox in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past six months. Outbreaks of mpox cases have been reported from new East African countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

The Center advised

The Center on Monday directed states and Union Territories to screen and test all suspected pox cases in the community and identify isolation facilities in hospitals for suspected and confirmed patients.

In a letter written to states and Union Territories on Monday, Union Health Secretary Apoorva Chandra asked people to avoid unnecessary panic.

He urged states and Union Territories to review public Health preparedness, particularly at the level of Health facilities, identify isolation facilities in hospitals and ensure availability of necessary logistics and trained human resources at such facilities.

Union Health Secretary has called for orientation to all key stakeholders with focus on surveillance units under Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) at state and district levels to reorient them on definitions of suspected, probable, confirmed cases and contact tracings. and other surveillance activities.

In the letter, Chandra asked all states to educate the public on pox, mode of transmission, timely reporting and preventive measures, besides reviewing public Health preparedness and isolation facilities for suspected and confirmed cases.

In its latest situational update, the WHO has highlighted that the clinical picture of cases remains largely the same, Chandra said, listing the main features of the majority of cases being young people with a median age of 34 years (18-44 years).

Of the modes of transmission reported worldwide, sexual contact is the most commonly reported, followed by person-to-person non-sexual contact and in cases where at least one symptom is reported, the most common symptom is rash, followed by fever, Chandra said. In the letter.

About half of the cases with available information on their HIV status are people living with HIV, he said.

He said that the disease surveillance network under IDSP continues to monitor any clustering of cases.

The Union Health Secretary said that Health units at points of entry (airports) have been directed to strengthen Health screening of incoming travelers to detect any suspected cases and laboratory network under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also been strengthened.

“Furthermore, taking into consideration the epidemiology of the disease, State AIDS Control Societies are requested to be vigilant to improve community awareness on the issue to pick up suspected cases and encourage timely reporting of cases,” the letter said.

Chandra also highlighted some key public Health measures needed to prevent/reduce the risk of any case or death due to pox in the country.

He stressed on wide dissemination of the ministry’s guidelines for mpox and outbreak and action management on updated CD-Alert on the disease issued by NCDC.