The health minister said that the state is following the Union government's guidelines and has setup surveillance teams at all airports.
Published Aug 21, 2024 | 6:56 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 21, 2024 | 6:56 PM
Kerala Health Minister Veena George. (Facebook)
Kerala Health Minister Veena George directed the hospitals in the state to be vigilant in the wake of the upsurge of Monkey Pox (mpox) cases in various countries, especially in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The minister said that the state is following the Union government’s guidelines and has setup surveillance teams at all airports.
“If anyone shows symptoms of the disease, they should report to the airport authorities,” said George.
The minister also said that the state had issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in 2022 when mpox was first reported, and that isolation, sample collection, and treatment protocols are in place.
She also directed the government and private hospitals to follow the SOP if anyone arrives with mpox symptoms.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Two different clades exist: Clade I and Clade II.
While the common symptoms of mpox are skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last two to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, it can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone infectious, with contaminated materials or with infected animals.
The WHO on 19 August observed that the ongoing upsurge of mpox in the DRC and in a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
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