Mpox scare: Centre asks airports to be alert, marks 3 hospitals as nodal centers

Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the recent outbreak of mpox as a global public health emergency following the emergence of a new variant.

The Union health ministry on Monday asked all the airports and authorities at land ports on borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan to be alert about incoming passengers reporting Mpox symptoms.

To ensure effective management of any potential monkeypox cases, the ministry has designated three central government-run hospitals in New Delhi—Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College—as nodal centers for the isolation, treatment, and management of Mpox patients. Additionally, all state governments have been instructed to identify and prepare hospitals within their jurisdictions to handle Mpox cases. Currently, 32 laboratories across India are equipped to test for the virus.