Amid rapid spurt in Monkeypox cases in several countries, the Union Government has begun surveillance at all international entry points — airports, seaports and land border crossings and asked the concerned officials to be vigilant and to undertake strict thermal screening for suspected international passengers travelling from affected countries with symptoms or history of the disease.
The health ministry has directed National Centre for Disease Control and Indian Council of Medical Research to keep a close watch on the situation and strengthen community surveillance for early detection of any positive case, official sources said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to hold an emergency meeting later in the evening to discuss the recent outbreak of Monkeypox, after more than 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe.
First identified in monkeys, the viral disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa, so this series of cases has triggered concern.