Mumbai: Amid concerns over monkeypox, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde demanding strict testing and quarantine norms for passengers from high-risk countries at Mumbai airport.

The World Health Organization has declared monkeypox a public health emergency and the virus has now reached Pakistan, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Chavan said on Saturday, urging the government to take proactive steps to prevent its spread in India.

“It has reached our neighbourhood. We need to act. I have written to the CM to implement a strict testing and quarantine protocol at Mumbai airport for all arriving passengers from high-risk countries,” the Congress leader said on X.

It is necessary to act in a timely manner as any delay could have serious consequences, he said.

India’s Health Ministry said on Saturday that no cases of monkeypox had been reported in India, although precautionary measures were being taken to prevent and control the spread of the disease.

While it cannot be ruled out that some imported cases will be discovered in the coming weeks, the risk of a major outbreak with sustained transmission in India is currently low, it said.

At a meeting chaired by Health Minister JP Nadda, it was noted that monkeypox infections usually resolve on their own, last for 2 to 4 weeks and patients generally recover with supportive care.

Transmission requires prolonged close contact with an infected person and generally occurs sexually, through direct contact with body/wound fluids or contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person.

Previously, the WHO declared monkeypox an international health emergency in July 2022 and lifted it in May 2023.

Globally, WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to monkeypox from 116 countries since 2022. A total of 30 cases have been detected in India since the WHO declaration in 2022, with the last case in March 2024.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications.