The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala said it will issue revised guidelines for the prevention and treatment of ampox, after the state reported its first confirmed case of the new variant of the disease in the country on Monday.
State Health Minister Veena George, after a meeting with the Rapid Response Team to assess the overall situation, said instructions have been given to take necessary action if the number of cases increases.
“Isolation facilities have been set up in all districts and surveillance has been strengthened, including at airports. Currently, testing facilities have been arranged in five laboratories. If required, testing facilities will be expanded to more laboratories,” George said in a statement.
The minister said revised guidelines for prevention and effective treatment of ampox in the state would be issued soon.
The minister urged citizens coming from other countries to inform the health department and seek treatment if they develop symptoms.
He directed the officials to inform the health department if they come to know about any person coming to government or private hospitals for treatment with symptoms of ampox.
Earlier, official sources said the first case of the ampox virus in India was reported in a patient from Kerala who tested positive last week.
A 38-year-old man from Malappuram, who recently returned from the UAE, tested positive for the Clade 1B strain of ampox. The patient is stable, the report said.
“This was the first case of the current strain, which led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare ampox a public health emergency for the second time last month,” PTI quoted sources as saying.
Earlier, a 26-year-old man from Hisar in Haryana was found positive for the West African Clade 2 strain earlier this month.
It is important to note that 30 cases of ampox have been reported in the country so far, while the WHO has declared ampox as a public health emergency of international concern in 2022.
Symptoms of Ampox
Symptoms of ampox may appear 1 to 21 days after exposure. Common signs include rash, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms usually last 2-4 weeks, but may last longer for people with weakened immune systems.
Can Ampox be transmitted?
Ampox can spread from person to person through direct contact, such as infected skin or other lesions on the mouth or genitals. Infection can also occur through the use of contaminated items such as clothing or linens or in community settings such as tattoo parlors.
Transmission of ampox from animals to humans occurs through bites or scratches from infected animals, or during activities such as hunting, skinning, trapping, cooking, playing with carcasses, or eating animals.
