Centre advises states to screen, test all suspect mpox cases
New Delhi, Sep 9: The Centre on Monday advised states and Union territories to screen and test all suspect mpox cases in the community, and identify isolation facilities in hospitals for both suspect and confirmed patients.
In a letter to states and Union territories on Monday, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra asked them to prevent any undue panic amongst the masses.
"No new case of mpox has been reported in India in the current outbreak, and none of the samples in suspected cases has tested positive," he said while emphasising the need to stay alert.
Chandra underlined that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare continues to closely monitor the evolving situation.
He asked the states and Union Territories to review public health preparedness, particularly at the health facility level, identify isolation facilities in hospitals, and ensure the availability of required logistics and trained human resources at such facilities.
The Union health secretary also called for the orientation of all key stakeholders with a focus on surveillance units under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at state and district levels to re-orient them on definitions of suspect, probable, confirmed cases, contact tracing and other surveillance activities.
In the letter, Chandra asked all states to make people aware of the mpox disease, its mode of spread, the need for timely reporting and taking preventive measures, besides reviewing the public health preparedness and isolation facilities for both suspect and confirmed cases.
"No new case of mpox has been reported in India in the current outbreak, and none of the samples in suspected cases has tested positive," he said and asserted that the health ministry continues to closely monitor the evolving situation.
On Sunday, the ministry said a man who recently travelled from a country experiencing mpox transmission has been identified as a suspected case of the disease and his samples have been collected for testing. It said the man has been isolated at a designated hospital and there is no cause for concern.
In the letter, Chandra said the World Health Organization (WHO) on August 14 declared the current outbreak of mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
As highlighted by WHO, the decision was taken in view of the continuously rising trend of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last six months. Spread of mpox cases has been reported from newer East African countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
In its latest situational update, WHO has highlighted that the clinical picture of the cases has largely remained the same, Chandra said listing key characteristics according to which most cases are young males with a median age of 34 years (range 18-44 years).
Among modes of transmission reported globally, sexual contact is the most commonly reported, followed by person-to-person non-sexual contact and among cases where at least one symptom is reported, the most common symptom is rash, followed by fever, Chandra said in the letter.
Around half of the cases with available information on their HIV status are reported to be in persons living with HIV, he said.
He said the disease surveillance network under the IDSP continues to monitor for any clustering of cases.
Health units at points of entry (airports) have been instructed to strengthen health screening of incoming travellers to detect any suspected case, the Union health secretary said, adding the laboratory network under Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also been strengthened.
"Further, considering the disease epidemiology, the State AIDS Control societies are requested to be kept on alert to pick up on suspect cases and improve community awareness on the issue to promote timely reporting of cases," the letter said.
Chandra also highlighted some key public health actions required to prevent/minimize the risk of any case or death due to mpox in the country.
He stressed on wide dissemination of the ministry's guidelines for management of mpox and dissemination and action on the updated CD-Alert on the disease issued by NCDC.
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Heavy rain, hailstorms likely to lash Uttarakhand on Tuesday; IMD issues warning
Dehradun/Pithoragarh (PTI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for heavy rain and hailstorms across several districts of Uttarakhand on Tuesday, as temperatures remained markedly below normal in the region.
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Pauri, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. Most places across all districts are expected to receive light to moderate rain or thunderstorms, while higher reaches are likely to witness snowfall, officials said on Monday.
The weather department warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and intense spells of rain in six districts, including Dehradun and Nainital. Gusty winds with speeds reaching 40-50 kmph are also expected at isolated locations in these areas and other hilly districts.
In the state capital, Dehradun, the sky is forecast to remain partly cloudy with light rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 30-40 kmph.
The maximum and minimum temperatures in the city are expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 19 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Maximum temperatures during the past 24 hours remained markedly below normal in the hills and appreciably below normal in the plains. While no significant change in temperature is expected over the next 2-3 days, the IMD predicts a rise of 3-5 degrees Celsius during the subsequent 3-4 days.
Rainfall was recorded in several areas after 8.30 am today, with Ramnagar receiving 31.5 mm and Nainital recording 26.5 mm. Other areas, including Pithoragarh, Khatima and Champawat, also reported moderate precipitation.
Authorities have stopped a batch of 36 Adi Kailash pilgrims at the Dharchula base camp and placed the high-altitude yatra route on high alert following heavy rains and hailstorms in the district on Monday.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said the pilgrimage was halted due to adverse weather conditions. The issuance of new inner-line passes has been suspended until the weather normalises.
With 1,700 passes issued so far, pilgrims already at higher camps are being monitored for safety, the official added.
