Friday, 05 August | PNS | Dehradun
The health minister Dhan Singh Rawat has said that in view of the increasing threat from the monkeypox disease, the state health department has been put on an alert mode. He said that the department has also issued the SoPs for preventive measures against the disease as the guidelines of the government of India. In a statement the minister said on Thursday that the strict vigilance for control and prevention of the disease at the district level would be maintained and the officers have been directed to strengthen the surveillance system. He said that the officers have been directed to ensure that arrangements for isolation of suspected patients of monkeypox should be made in every health centre and medical college hospitals. Similarly they should also appoint a nodal officer. Rawat said that even one case of the disease would be considered serious and a situation of outbreak of the disease.
It is pertinent to mention here that Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, has been declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Rawat said that the secretary in charge of the department, R Rajesh Kumar has been directed to keep the system on an alert mode.
The officers have been directed that all the suspected cases of the disease should be reported immediately to District Surveillance Units State Surveillance Units (SSUs). The department has emphasised on targeted surveillance for probable cases and asked the officers to initiate contact tracing and testing of the symptomatic after the detection of the probable/confirmed case. The alert stresses on preventive strategy, laboratory diagnosis, contact tracing, capacity building, clinical care and awareness generation for the disease. The minister said that all the district magistrates and chief medical officers (CMO) have been asked to remain vigilant on the disease.
