The sweeping monkeypox cases across the globe, has set the alarm bells ringing in India. Even though India has not registered a single case of the virus yet, several states have already issued guidelines to protect its borders against the unusual infection.

Stepping up their precautionary game, Uttar Pradesh health officials have decided to put persons with international travel history on its watch to prep themselves against a probable Monkeypox outbreak in Lucknow.

On Thursday, the authorities issued an advisory instructing that all passengers coming from other states, with a history of international travel be watched closely to prevent any possible outbreak of monkeypox infection. This has to be done while following the standard operating procedures (SoPs).

While Mumbai has kept a 28-bed ward ready at Kasturba Gandhi for monkeypox patients, UP too has upped up their defences. According to the advisory issued to all CMOs of UP, the suspected patients need to stay in isolation until they get new skin on the spot of rashes or the doctor advises to end isolation. Blood and sputum samples will be sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune and contact-tracing of people who came in contact with a patient should be done up to a period of past 21 days.

Apart from this, all hospitals in Lucknow have been asked to take precautions regarding a possible monkeypox outbreak. Guidelines regarding the same have been sent to hospitals like KGMU, SGPGI, Lohia, Balrampur, Civil, Rani Laxmibai, Lokbandhu and others.

Patients with symptoms of the monkeypox have been asked to get themselves examined and admitted separately to avoid the spread. It must be noted that the majority of monkeypox patients have reported fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes.

The highly-transmissible virus is suspected to spread by human-to-human transmission via big respiratory droplets among other things. WHO has described the infection as ‘unusual’ but treatable. As India continues to deal with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the question remains that even with the low severity and rarity of the monkeypox infection, are we ready for another health emergency?