Centre holds high-level meeting on monkeypox preparedness review

The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr P K Mishra on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review the country's preparedness for Mpox and the related public health measures under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been closely observing the situation following its declaration as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the official statement, during the high-level meeting, it was reported that there are currently no cases of Mpox in the country. Based on the present assessment, the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is considered low.

It may be noted that the WHO has



again declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa. 

Steps taken in last one week

It was informed by the Health Secretary that the following steps have already been taken in the last one week:

. A meeting of experts was convened by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on August 12, 2024 to assess the risk for India.

. A Communicable Disease (CD) Alert on Mpox issued earlier by the NCDC is being updated to capture the newer developments.

. Sensitization of the health teams at International Airports (Ports of Entry) has been undertaken.