India's Battle Against Mpox: Urging States to Gear Up

India reports its first case of the mpox strain, prompting the Centre to instruct all states to identify facilities and trained personnel for handling suspected and confirmed cases. The Union Health Secretary advises immediate testing of samples, robust preventive measures, and ensuring public health preparedness to mitigate further spread.

In a significant health advisory, the Centre has called on all states to identify facilities and trained personnel for handling both suspected and confirmed mpox cases. This follows India reporting its first instance of the mpox strain, which recently prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency.

In an official communication to states and Union territories, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra stressed the need for quick actions. Samples from skin lesions of any patient showing mpox symptoms should be swiftly sent to designated laboratories. Any samples that test positive will be forwarded to the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) for genome sequencing to identify the clade.

The WHO announced on August 14 that the current global mpox outbreak, previously known as Monkeypox, is regarded as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Highlighting the urgency, Chandra urged states to bolster public health preparedness, ensure public awareness, and implement stringent infection control measures.

(With inputs from agencies.)