Monkeypox in India: Delhi asks hospitals to notify suspected cases | Key points

The Delhi government's DGHS has mandated all suspected cases to be referred and isolated at the reserved ward of Lok Nayak Hospital in coordination with district surveillance officers after the country's fourth case was found in the capital.

With monkeypox cases showing a sudden rise across the country, the Directorate General Of Health Services (DGHS) - under the Delhi government - on Monday issued an order to the health facilities in the capital, asking them to notify any suspect case of the virus. Delhi reported its first monkeypox case on Sunday as a 34-year-old with no recent history of travel tested positive.

A person arrives to receive a monkeypox vaccination at the Northwell Health Immediate Care Center at Fire Island-Cherry Grove, in New York (REUTERS for representation)

The DGHS said that all the suspected cases must be referred and isolated at the reserved ward of Lok Nayak Hospital in coordination with district surveillance officers.

So far, four cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in India – three from Kerala and one from Delhi – while another suspected case with monkeypox-like symptoms has been reported from Telangana and one suspected patient is being treated in Uttar Pradesh's Auraiya district.

Here are the latest developments on monkeypox in India:

• Earlier in the day, the Union health ministry released a list of common symptoms of monkeypox, and what needs to be done if a person has been in physical company of a confirmed or suspected patient. The Centre had conducted a high-level review meeting over the disease and issued comprehensive guidelines for public health preparedness and response measures by authorities on monkeypox cases.
• The health ministry said that any individual, who has, in the preceding 21 days, had exposure to a confirmed or suspected patient, should closely monitor their health. If they observe any symptoms, they should seek immediate medical attention. Health experts have also reassured that monkeypox virus is not as transmissible as Covid-19, unlike what many people have feared.
• In the national capital, a 34-year-old male resident of West Delhi was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital over suspicion of monkeypox infection. The case was confirmed following a diagnosis by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The close contacts of the patient were subsequently identified and quarantined, the Union health ministry said in a statement.
• On Saturday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared a ‘public health emergency’ over monkeypox disease. However, state governments in India have reiterated that there was no reason to panic and that adequate arrangements were in place.
• Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and on alert as three out of four confirmed cases in India so far have been reported from neighbouring Kerala. All three cases were found in returnees from the UAE but their condition was stable and no secondary infection has been reported from the state, Kerala's health minister Veena George said.