Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh has issued an advisory on monkeypox and health officials have been directed to follow the standard operating procedures (SoPs).
“Monitoring of people with rashes that cannot be related to an illness, particularly those who have recently travelled to a country where monkeypox cases were reported or had come in contact with a monkeypox patient, need to be monitored and asked to stay in isolation,” said the advisory from the director, infectious diseases, which was circulated on Thursday. Passengers coming from other states with a history of international travel will be under focus.
Suspected patients need to stay in isolation until they get new skin on the spot of rashes or the doctor advises to end isolation. Blood and sputum samples will be sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune and contact-tracing of people who came in contact with a patient should be done up to a period of past 21 days, according to the advisory sent to all chief medical officers in the state, the advisory spelt out.
“A majority of monkeypox patients have reported fever and rashes and swollen lymph nodes and it is suspected the human-to-human transmission is via big respiratory droplets,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary-general, Association of International Doctors.
“Though there has been no case of monkeypox in India till May 22 but there is a need to remain alert,” said the advisory. Monkeypox is a self-limiting disease and symptoms may stay up to four weeks. Cases have been reported from the UK, USA, Europe, Canada and Australia. The incubation period of this disease is 7 to 14 days but can extend up to 21 days.
