NEW DELHI : India has reported first laboratory confirmed case of Monkeypox in Kerala from Kollam district after which union health ministry has rushed a multi-disciplinary team of experts to collaborate with the state health authoritites in instituting public health measures, the union health ministry informed on Thursday. “The central team will assist the state health department in containing the outbreak," said the official. “The Central team to Kerala comprises of experts drawn from National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr.
RML Hospital and senior official from the health ministry along with experts from regional office of Kerala government. The team shall work closely with the state health departments and take a stock of on-ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions.
India is taking proactive steps by monitoring the situation carefully and coordinating with states in case of any such possibility of outbreak occurs," stated health ministry in a statement.
Earlier in the day, the Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan directed the states/UTs to do extensive surveillance screening and testing of all suspected cases at the points of entries either through hospital-based surveillance and targeted surveillance under measles surveillance or intervention sites identified by NACO for MSM, FSW population, and in the community should be done. “Continued expansion of spread of Monkeypox disease globally calls for proactive strengthening and operationalization of requisite public health actions for preparedness and response the disease in India also.