"Don't need to panic": LNJP hospital Dr Suresh Kumar after confirmation of one Mpox case in India

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New Delhi: After one case of monkeypox was confirmed, Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of LNJP Hospital in Delhi, urged the public to remain calm.

Urging the public to not panic over the West African clade 2 Monkeypox case, Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, LNJP Hospital on Tuesday, "A suspected case of monkeypox came to us, and we conducted tests of it. The patient was having a fever and body ache and was sent to Pune. It was found positive, and there was a West African strain found. We don't need to panic, the patient is in isolation. The patient is stable and recovering very well."
"Last year, at least 16 patients came to us, and neither of them faced any complications. All of them recovered," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party leader (AAP) Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj conducted a surprise inspection at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital (LNJP) to review the preparedness for the dengue and monkeypox infections.

On his visit to the hospital, Bhardwaj said that one case of monkeypox has been confirmed of a person who was travelling abroad.

Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj said, "I conducted a surprise visit at the LNJP hospital today to review the preparations for dengue and monkeypox. One case of monkeypox has been confirmed till now and the patient has a travel history and got infected when he was travelling abroad."

He added that the patient has been stable and has been kept in isolation in the Disaster Management Ward.

On Monday, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra issued an advisory to states and union territories regarding the precautionary actions, symptoms and causes of the WHO declared Public Health Emergency of International Concern "Mpox."

The Union Health Secretary, in an issued advisory, highlighted the key public health actions that are required to be undertaken to prevent or minimise the risk of any case or death due to Mpox in the country.

The Union Health Secretary directed the states to widely disseminate the Ministry's "Guidelines for Management of Monkeypox Disease" and take action on the updated CD-Alert (communicable disease alert) on Mpox issued by National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been a public health issue in parts of Africa for many years but resurfaced as a global concern in 2022.