Taking cognisance of two confirmed monkeypox cases being reported in the country, Karnataka’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended strict surveillance measures at airports in Bengaluru and Mangaluru. The State is likely to issue an advisory in this regard shortly.
The TAC that discussed the Centre’s monkeypox guidelines at its recent meeting has recommended that a suspected case should be shifted to designated isolation facilities - Isolation (Epidemic Diseases) Hospital at Indiranagar in Bengaluru and Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru. “Designated isolation facilities in private hospitals should be considered as per requirement,” the report said.
“Those arriving from the affected countries either directly at Bengaluru or Mangaluru airports/seaport, particularly those with a history of contact with a known case of monkeypox in the last 21 days and having one or more symptoms, should immediately report at the airports/seaports or later at the nearest government health facility,” the report said.
“A monkeypox recognition card should be displayed on board the aircraft/sea ship and an announcement should be made for those with clinical manifestations of the disease to report at the health facility. Due precautions such as use of N95 mask, face shield and gloves should be followed,” the report stated.
“If a suspected case arriving from an infected country reports directly at a health facility/hospital (government or private), then the patient should be immediately isolated at the designated facility in the district. Designated isolation facilities in private hospitals should be considered as per requirement. The Rapid Response Teams at district and taluk levels should be trained in surveillance of monkeypox in the State,” the report pointed out.
Clinical samples should be collected from suspected patients for laboratory diagnosis of monkeypox and sent to the Department of Microbiology and Virus Research Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, which is the designated laboratory for monkeypox testing, the report said.
The TAC has said a soft copy of monkeypox recognition cards should be widely shared using social media and mass media for educating the general public without creating panic. Special efforts should be made to sensitise dermatologists in particular, TAC said.
