Monkeypox: Centre's High-Level Meet Today, 9 Cases Reported So Far

The review meeting on Monkeypox is being held by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) - a division of the health ministry that is responsible for managing public health issues of international or national concern.

The meeting is being chaired by Dr L Swasticharan, director of Emergency Medical Relief and is being attended by officials from the National Aids Control Organisation, National Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organisation (WHO) representatives.

"This is a technical meeting to revisit the existing guidelines," an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The review meeting is taking place after India reported its ninth case of the disease on Wednesday. A 31-year-old man with no foreign travel history was diagnosed with the disease in Delhi -- the fourth such case in the national capital.

Kerala has confirmed five cases including one death. A 22-year-old man, who died on July 30, tested positive, making him India's first monkeypox-related fatality.

According to existing guidelines issued by the Centre, any person having a history of travel to affected countries within the last 21 days presenting with an unexplained acute rash and symptoms like swollen lymph nodes, fever, headaches, body aches and profound weakness is to be considered to be a 'suspected case'.

The World Health Organisation had recently declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. 

According to the global health body, monkeypox is a viral zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus. It spreads mostly from human contact, it said.

The symptoms include fever, lesions on the body and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to complications. It is usually a self-limiting disease -- the symptoms last for two to four weeks.

The first case of Monkeypox virus was reported in India on July 14 after a UAE traveller returned to Kerala. The 35-year-old man was discharged from the hospital on July 30.