Monkeypox: 4th Case Detected in Delhi As Another Nigerian Tests Positive; India’s Tally 9

One more case of Monkeypox has been confirmed in Delhi, taking the cumulative national tally to nine. A 31-year-old Nigerian woman tested positive for monkeypox in Delhi, news agency PTI reported citing sources. She is first woman in the country to test positive for monkeypox.

This is the fourth case of monkeypox in Delhi. Earlier, two Nigerian nationals having no recent history of foreign travel tested positive for monkeypox in the national capital.

To fight the monkeypox situation, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has geared up and built a total of 70 isolation rooms in government and private hospitals.

Sharing the details of arrangements, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said 20 isolation rooms have been set up in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, 10 each in GTB hospital, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Kailash Deepak Hospital, MD City Hospital, and Tughlaqabad’s Batra Hospital.

Sisodia said the AAP-led Delhi government is constantly monitoring the situation and has geared up to fight “even a potential monkeypox outbreak”. “More isolation rooms will be added if needed. The health security of Delhi residents is a top priority of the Kejriwal government. We are keeping a close eye on the monkeypox situation to deal with any surge in cases,” he said in a statement.

LNJP Hospital, the largest hospital under the Delhi government, is the nodal center for the treatment of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox in the city.

Meanwhile, a task force on monkeypox has been constituted to closely monitor the emerging situation in the country and decide on response initiatives to tackle the spread of the disease.

According to the WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, a virus transmitted to humans from animals, with symptoms similar to smallpox although clinically less severe. Monkeypox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks.

While the first case in India was reported from Kerala on July 14, Union Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya said much before that on May 1, 2022 the Centre had given guidelines to all states, and not just for international airports, on surveillance mechanism and contact tracing, how to collect samples from suspected cases and sending it to recognised laboratories for testing.

With the disease spreading only through close and deep contacts, he said no specific community is at risk and the government has taken up steps to create awareness about common symptoms, reporting of suspected cases and prevention from the disease.

Mandaviya said WHO has reported 18,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox globally from 78 countries and five deaths till July 27, 2022.

Centre’s ‘Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease’ state that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. The virus can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation.

Read More: Is Monkeypox a Global Threat? Does it Spread Primarily Through Sexual Contact? Top WHO Official Answers

On July 23, the World Health Organisation (WHO) sounded its highest level of alert for monkeypox and declared the virus as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), after more than 16,000 cases and five deaths were reported from 75 countries. The global health body also called on nations to work closely with communities of men who have sex with men and adopt measures that protect the health, human rights, and dignity of affected communities.

(With PTI inputs)