India Issues Advisory on Mpox Disease After Reporting First Case of Clade 1b Infection
The Union Health Ministry of India has released an advisory to all states and union territories after India became the third non-African country to report a case of Mpox clade 1b infection. The advisory, issued on September 26, includes guidelines for isolating suspected cases, infection prevention, and control measures.
Key Measures
The advisory outlines several key measures:
- Isolation of all suspected Mpox cases
- Strict infection prevention and control measures
- Clinical management protocols
- Risk communication strategy
The Ministry has also provided a list of laboratories for testing and emphasized the need for public health preparedness at health facilities. Senior officials at state and district levels are to review these preparations.
WHO Declaration
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the current Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024. This is the second time Mpox has been associated with a PHEIC under the International Health Regulations, 2005, to which India is a signatory.
Public Health Actions
The Ministry has directed states to:
- Identify isolation facilities in hospitals
- Ensure availability of required logistics and trained human resources
- Develop an augmentation plan
Samples from skin lesions of suspected Mpox patients should be sent to designated labs immediately. Positive samples should be sent to ICMR-NIV for genome sequencing to determine the clade.
Diagnostic Testing
India has robust diagnostic testing capabilities with 36 labs supported by ICMR and three commercial PCR kits validated by ICMR and approved by CDSCO.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide necessary support to states and union territories.
Doubts Revealed
Mpox -: Mpox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.
Clade 1b -: Clade 1b is a specific type or group of the Mpox virus. Scientists use ‘clade’ to describe different groups of viruses.
Union Health Ministry -: The Union Health Ministry is a part of the Indian government that takes care of health-related issues in the country.
Advisory -: An advisory is a set of guidelines or advice given by authorities to help people know what to do in a certain situation.
States and union territories -: India is divided into states and union territories. States have their own governments, while union territories are governed by the central government.
Isolation protocols -: Isolation protocols are rules to keep sick people away from healthy people to stop the disease from spreading.
Infection prevention measures -: These are actions taken to stop the spread of diseases, like washing hands and wearing masks.
Operational laboratories -: These are labs that are ready and equipped to test for diseases like Mpox.
World Health Organization -: The World Health Organization (WHO) is a global organization that works to keep people healthy and safe from diseases.
Public Health Emergency of International Concern -: This is a serious situation declared by the WHO when a disease spreads across countries and needs urgent action.
Public health preparedness -: This means being ready to handle health emergencies, like having enough doctors, medicines, and hospitals.
Isolation facilities -: These are special areas in hospitals where sick people are kept away from others to prevent spreading the disease.
