Govt constitutes task force to monitor monkeypox cases in India

New Delhi, July 31: The Centre has reportedly formed a task force to monitor monkeypox cases in India. It comes a day after a man with suspected symptoms of the disease died in Kerala.

"Centre has formed the task force to monitor #monkeypox cases in India, the team will be headed by Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), Niti Aayog and members include Secretary of Union Health Ministry, Pharma and Biotech," sources informed news agency ANI.

At a high-level meeting held on June 26, the decision was taken to constitute a task force on monkeypox to provide guidance to the government on the expansion of diagnostic facilities and explore emerging trends related to vaccination for the disease, official sources had told PTI earlier.

The National Aids Control Organisation and Directorate General of Health Services have been asked to work on a sensitive and targeted communication strategy to promote timely reporting, detection of cases and management of cases, the sources had said. It was advised to operationalise the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) network labs and make arrangements for requisite diagnostics of monkeypox disease.

"A task force on monkeypox disease will be constituted to guide government of India on expansion of diagnostic facilities in the country, availability of kits and required reagents for the same and also explore emerging trends related to vaccination for the disease," the official source told PTI.

The meeting was attended by the Cabinet Secretary, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, Union Health Secretary, Additional Secretary (PMO) and other senior officials.

On the other hand, a high-level inquiry has been ordered into the death of a person with symptoms of monkeypox in Chavakkad Kuranjiyur in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George said on Sunday.

With the swab results of the deceased patient yet to be reported, the health minister said that the patient was young, did not suffer from any other illness or health problems and therefore, the health department was looking into the cause of his death.

The result of the test conducted in a foreign country was positive and he sought treatment in Thrissur, George said. She said they will also be examining why there was a delay in his hospitalisation after he arrived in Kerala from UAE on July 21.

"This particular variant of monkeypox is not as highly virulent or contagious like COVID-19, but it does spread. Comparatively, the mortality rate of this variant is low. Therefore, we will examine why the 22-year-old man died in this particular case as he had no other illness or health problems," the minister told the media.