Hospitals across Kolkata monitor situation, ready with mpox SOP
Times of India | 10 September 2024
Kolkata: With India’s first suspected case of mpox having been identified in Delhi this week, hospitals across Kolkata have taken guard and are planning to issue an advisory and keep arrangements ready to isolate suspected patients. A highly contagious disease that sets in with symptoms like rashes, fever and a sore throat, mpox patients may take two to four weeks to recover depending on the immunity level.
According to an advisory issued by the state health department, all suspected patients are to be referred to the Beleghata ID Hospital for treatment.
Since mpox has no vaccine, those infected are likely to have a weak immune response leading to a severe disease, according to Manipal Hospital infectious diseases physician Sayan Chakrabarty. “It has a higher morbidity and mortality rate than chicken pox. The mpox virus is not related to chicken pox, rather it has originated from the small pox virus which is now eradicated. Without a vaccine, it is likely to affect more people and also spread faster than chicken pox,” said Chakrabarty.
What makes it even more dangerous is that the mpox anti-viral drug is not available in India. “So, treatment has to be symptomatic. They can be managed effectively with early detection but the recovery period could be long. It is imperative to identify patients and isolate them as quickly as possible,” added Chakrabarty.
“Those with skin lesions should be careful and get themselves checked immediately since it is very infectious. Mpox patients get rashes below their feet, on palms and in the genitals which does not happen in chicken pox and is a tell-tale sign of the disease. That apart, it also causes severe body pain, headache, back pain and fatigue,” said Charnock Hospital internal medicine consultant Subhayan Bhattacharya Bhattacharya.
Peerless Hospital has kept its four-bed isolation ward ready. It has been in use since Covid and would be used in case an mpox suspect is admitted, said CEO Sudipta Mitra.
“Direct contact with an infected person or body fluids leads to transmission. It can be transmitted through droplets or sexual intercourse. Infected people should be isolated. An infected person is infective until the lesion heals,” said ILS Hospital consultant physician Sarbajit Ray.
“Since it spreads through human contact, tracking and monitoring people who have been in contact with infected individuals is important to stop its spread. “We are keeping two separate isolation rooms with negative pressure where we plan to admit suspected cases and conduct necessary PCR tests,” said Tanmay Banerjee, director of Medica Institute of Critical Care.
BP Poddar Hospital has started screening patients with a recent foreign travel history. “We have a 1-bed separate isolation unit that can be scaled up to three beds,” said Supriyo Chakrabarty, group advisor, BP Poddar.