Shillong, Aug 21: Meghalaya has raised its disease surveillance with the state health department “closely monitoring the situation”, a day after the Union Health Ministry issued an advisory to all states to be on alert in view of the outbreak of Monkeypox (Mpox) in different parts of the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of mpox as a global public health emergency. The virus strain of the Mpox is a new variant this time and is more virulent and infectious, which has raised concerns of health experts and policy makers.
A senior state health official confirmed the surveillance operation after the central government, on Monday. issued an advisory putting authorities on alert across “airports, ports and border areas” with Bangladesh and Pakistan ti screen incoming citizens of these countries in view of the outbreak of mpox.
The Union Health Ministry has asked the states to keep hospitals ready to handle Mpox cases. State hospitals would act as nodal centres to disseminate necessary information on Mpox. The centre has also asked testing laboratories to be ready and there are currently 32 such testing laboratories which can conduct testing for Mpox.
The current outbreak of Mpox began early this year and some estimates put the number of people affected with the new variant of mpox at close to 30,000. Around 450 have died from the disease in recent months in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Zaire, linked to a strain of Mpox known as Clade Ib.
Mpox mainly spreads through physical contact with an infected person, including touch, kissing, or sexual activity or via contaminated materials (e.g., clothing, linens) and from bites, scratches of infected animals and humans.
Pregnant individuals can pass the virus to their unborn children. The symptoms of the disease include rashes on the body accompanied with fever, headache and muscle ache, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue.
Reportedly, health experts say the “risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low in the country as per the current assessment”.
Nonetheless, Meghalaya in such a scenario has its task cut out with the 444 km long India-Bangladesh border and considering the present law and order situation in Bangladesh.
There have been several attempts by Bangladeshis to infiltrate into India and some were arrested. The BSF on Monday nabbed three Bangladeshis (two male and one female) while they tried to infiltrate into India from Bangladesh in the Jaintia Hills sector.
Moreover, the constant movement of people involved in international trade with Bangladesh also is an area that would certainly be given a closer look by the health experts.
