The All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has issued a protocol for handling suspected mpox cases in India as the World Health Organization declares the disease as a public health emergency of international concern.
Amid rising international cases, three Delhi government hospitals have been directed to set up isolation rooms for suspected and confirmed cases of mpox, a health department official told PTI.
The Centre had also informed the authorities in airports, ports and borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan to remain alert about incoming international passengers who show mpox symptoms, according to sources.
For handling suspected mpox cases in the emergency department, the institute has recommended setting up a screening process in the triage area wherein, upon arrival, patients with fever, rash, or a history of contact with confirmed mpox cases should be flagged for immediate assessment. Key symptoms like fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and characteristic skin lesions, must be identified.
The suspected patients must be immediately placed in a designated isolation area to minimise contact with other patients and staff.
Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital has been designated for managing and treating mpox patients so any patient suspected of having mpox should be referred to Safdarjung Hospital for further evaluation and treatment, AIIMS said.
Moreover, a dedicated ambulance has been allotted to shift the patients to Safdarjung hospital. Health workers have been advised by the institute to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) when dealing with suspected cases.
Officials have said that no mpox case has been reported in the country at present. According to an assessment, the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low, they said.
Mpox cases have been steadily increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last year, the number of reported cases around the world increased significantly. This year, the number of cases reported so far has already exceeded last year's total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.
