Monkeypox: Centre advises airport, port officers to screen all foreign travellers

International travellers arriving in Delhi with monkeypox symptoms such as high fever and back pain will be sent to the LNJP Hospital from the airport.

The decision was taken in a review meeting chaired by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on Monday. 

A 34-year-old man from Delhi with no history of foreign travel tested positive for monkeypox, taking India's tally of cases to four. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. 

Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far.

Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Atul Goel on Sunday reviewed the monkeypox situation in the country and directed the National Centre for Disease Control to carry out a detailed epidemiological investigation of the cases.

In the meeting, the need for a targeted approach towards high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) was highlighted.

As NACO is the nodal agency which works towards preventing the spread of HIV and control of sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive tract infections, it was asked to frame guidelines for high-risk groups of monkeypox.

It typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.

It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks.