The Union Health Ministry on Saturday (August 17) said that there are currently no cases of monkeypox in India, however, precautionary measures will be taken to prevent and control the spread of the disease. In a review meeting held during the day, while the possibility of some imported cases being detected in the coming weeks was not completely ruled out, it was assessed that the risk of a large-scale outbreak with sustained transmission is currently low for India.
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In a statement, the Health Ministry said that since the WHO first declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in 2022, a total of 30 cases have been reported in India, the last of which was reported this March. No case of monkeypox has been reported in India so far, the statement said. The situation is being closely monitored by the ministry. Union Health Minister JP Nadda held a review meeting with senior officials of his ministry about the situation and preparedness. The World Health Organisation (WHO) again declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern on August 14.
It was decided that as a precautionary measure, certain measures would be taken such as sensitizing health units at all airports, seaports and ground crossings; preparing testing laboratories (32); preparing health facilities to detect, isolate and manage any cases. In the meeting, it was noted that monkeypox infection is usually self-limited lasting 2-4 weeks and patients usually recover with supportive management.
The statement said that infection requires prolonged close contact with an infected case and usually occurs through the sexual route, direct contact with body/wound fluids or contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person. The WHO’s 2022 declaration was rescinded in May 2023. Since 2022, the WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to monkeypox from 116 countries globally.
