Delhi gears up to fight Monkey Pox

New Delhi: As Monkeypox is making its way across India, claiming one death and 8 reported cases pan India, the Delhi Government is gearing up to prevent the outbreak of Monkeypox in the national capital. The government has set up 20 isolation rooms in Loknayak Jaiprakash Hospital, 10 isolation rooms each in GTB hospital, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Kailash Deepak Hospital, MD City Hospital and Batra Hospital Tughlakabad.

Speaking about the preparations being made by the government, Deputy Chief Minister, Delhi, Manish Sisodia said, “Not many cases of Monkeypox have been reported in India, yet we are ready with all the preventive measures in place. The Delhi Government is taking several important steps to prevent monkeypox infection from spreading across the capital.” According to him, all the arrangements have been made as per the global standards to fight the infectious monkeypox virus.

It is to be noted that, as of July 23, 2022, more than 16,000 cases of Monkeypox have been reported in 75 countries across the world, in view of which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox as a 'public health emergency. Two cases have been reported in Delhi so far, both the patients are undergoing treatment at Loknayak Jaiprakash Hospital.

According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MFHoW), if a person has a history of travelling to Monkeypox-affected countries in the past 21 days, has symptoms like swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, bodyache, rashes, weakness and respiratory symptoms, then he/she might be a suspected case of monkeypox. The precautions to be followed for avoiding the infection of monkeypox includes exposure to the infected person; the disease can be spread through direct physical contact with skin or skin wounds, or by contact with materials used by the infected person, such as clothing, bedding, or utensils.