No cases of Mpox have been reported in India so far, the health ministry said, adding that surveillance and containment measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
At a review meeting chaired by the Indian Health Minister JP Nadda, it was decided to introduce certain measures, including sensitization of health units at all airports, seaports and border crossings, preparation of testing laboratories (32 in number) and equipping health facilities to detect, isolate and treat all cases, etc.
- Also see: Explainer: What is Mpox and why did WHO declare the outbreak a global health emergency?
“While the possibility of some imported cases being detected in the coming weeks cannot be completely ruled out, the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission for India has been assessed as low at this time,” the ministry said, adding that the situation was being monitored.
Health emergency
The review meeting takes place against the backdrop of the World Health Organization (WHO) recently declaring Mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
The ministry also noted that Mpox infections usually resolve on their own, lasting between 2 and 4 weeks, and patients generally recover with supportive care. Transmission requires prolonged close contact with an infected case and generally occurs sexually, through direct contact with body/lesion fluids or contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person, it said.
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This is the second time that WHO has declared Mpox a public health emergency. The last time was in July 2022. The declaration was revoked in May 2023. Globally, WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to Mpox from 116 countries since 2022. A total of 30 cases have been detected in India since the WHO declaration in 2022, the last case being in March 2024, the ministry said.
A meeting of a joint monitoring group comprising experts from relevant fields was held on August 16 under the chairmanship of the Director General of Health to review the situation. The meeting was attended by experts from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), World Health Organization (WHO), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Centre for Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Directorate General of Health Services, government hospitals, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), etc.
