Monkeypox: India On Alert, Surveillance Ordered At All International Entry Points

New Delhi: The monkeypox virus is making headlines.

A sudden rise in number of cases detected abroad, especially in Europe, has forced the Indian government to take notice.

All international entry points — airports, seaports and land border crossings – will be under surveillance. Samples of travellers from Africa who show monkeypox symptoms will be sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for investigation, ANI reported.

“Send samples (to NIV, Pune) only in such cases where people display certain specific symptoms. Not samples of sick passengers,” ANI quoted an official as saying.

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The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been directed to keep a close watch on what could be the latest global health crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has convened an emergency meeting to discuss the outbreak of monkeypox in at least 10 countries.

Over 100 cases have been confirmed in seven European nations – UK, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy.