INDIAN Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Department of Health Research (DHR) have identified All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Nagpur as the Regional Testing Center for Monkey Pox (Mpox), which is among the 35 laboratories designated for testing suspected cases of Mpox all over the country. The laboratory at Nagpur will be the first and only one in Maharashtra. Dr Meena Mishra, Principal Investigator, Viral Research Diagnosis Laboratory (VRDL) and Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, Nagpur has informed that the laboratory is equipped with the necessary kits and reagents for Mpox testing, provided by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)- National Institute of Virology(NIV ), Pune and is currently accepting samples suspected of Mpox. Dr Meena Mishra explained, “This state-of-the-art laboratory since its inception, has been instrumental in testing more than 5 lakh COVID-19 samples along with other viral diseases like influenza, hepatitis-B, hepatitis-C, Human Papilloma Virus, dengue, chikungunya etc. AIIMS will accept and test suspected cases of Mpox in entire Vidarbha and adjoining areas. WHO has declared Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024 due to the emergence of the new strain of the virus: Clade Ib.

 

The new strain has become a matter of concern because only in this year, among 15,600 reported cases, there have been a staggering 537 documented deaths. It has also spread to several African countries who have previously not reported the disease. In India, till date a total of 30 cases of Monkeypox have been detected with a death occurring in Kerala in March 2024. Monkey pox is to be suspected in a person if he/she develops fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, weakness and/or fatigue along with developing skin rash that starts with the tongue and mouth before spreading to other parts of the body, especially in persons who have travelled to endemic countries for Mpox or have come in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of Mpox. It is also accompanied with swollen lymph nodes.

 

High risk groups have been identified as those who are immunocompromised, children, elderly, pregnant females and people with multiple sexual partners. Prof Dr Prashant Joshi, Executive Director, AIIMS elaborated, “The characteristic rash associated with Mpox can also be confused with other diseases that are more commonly encountered in clinical practice like chicken pox, syphilis, Varicella zoster, measles, scabies, and hand, foot and mouth disease. Therefore, he has emphasised that if the above mentioned symptoms are seen along with travel history to endemic areas or coming into contact with a suspected or confirmed case of Mpox, it is advised to take medical help, added Dr Joshi. Prof Dr Prashant Joshi informed that there is no need to panic but nonetheless, precautions need to be taken to prevent the disease from spreading, to identify the vulnerable groups and to determine the spreading strain type in the population.