Monkeypox: Odisha On Alert; Check What Top Health Official Has To Say

Bhubaneswar: With India reporting four monkeypox cases so far and cases rising globally, the Odisha government has asked health officials to remain alert.

Although no monkeypox case has been detected in Odisha yet, the state government said it has asked health officials and doctors to remain prepared.

“We have issued guidelines to medical colleges, Chief District Medical Officers (CDMOs) and specialists and asked them to remain alert. District Collectors have been asked to keep a watch on people coming from other states and countries,” state Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra told a news portal on Monday.

“We have held discussions with the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) about the method of treatment for people with monkeypox symptoms. RMRC will test monkeypox samples. As many as 15 centres including RMRC have been designated to carry out tests. Initially monkeypox looks like small pox. If anyone has such symptoms, he or she should immediately go for testing,” Mishra said.

India has reported four cases so far.

The World Health Organisation has activated its highest alert level for the growing monkeypox outbreak, declaring the virus a public health emergency of international concern.

The rare designation means WHO now views the outbreak as a significant enough threat to global health that a coordinated international response is needed to prevent the virus from spreading further and potentially escalating into a pandemic, CNBC reported.