Health experts including virologists have welcomed the indigenously developed kit for Reverse-transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests for diagnosing monkeypox. These test kits have been validated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Institute of Virology in Pune and approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Cases of monkeypox, having originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have been reported from different parts of the world since May 2022.
Made in India
“It is heartening to learn that three Indian health diagnostic companies have successfully developed rapid RT-PCR tests for mpox at lightning speed. It will be up to the diagnostic companies to launch their kits in the global markets because these tests will help ministries of health to initiate their surveillance activities. The ports of entry of travellers and also suspicious pox-like skin conditions presenting at clinics and hospitals will provide useful information of mpox spread in India,” said Dr Subhash Hira, professor of Global Health at University of Washington USA and a member of recently constituted WHO panel for mpox.
These tests will help ministries of health to initiate their surveillance activities. Representation Pic
Mpox not like COVID
The key actions of the response to the outbreak include informing frequent travellers who are most at risk for mpox with accurate information; offering pre- and post-exposure mpox vaccination to individuals at risk; stopping further spread.“Mpox is nowhere as big a threat as compared with COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Hira.
Kit excellent
Dr T Jacob John, well known virologist from Vellore, Tamil Nadu said, “The India designed kit of PCR diagnostic reagent seems to be excellent. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom from infectious diseases,” said Dr John.
Mode of transmission
When asked if children/adults are at risk of getting mpox, “As for risk to children and adults, careful observations and regular reports are essential. It seems that skin contact is the mode of transmission. Smallpox virus was respiratory-transmitted. Thus large outbreaks of mpox cannot occur. But clusters of cases will occur. I hope the Director General of Health Services will tell us more in real-time,” said Dr John.
Test results in 40 minutes
Dr Wiqar Shaikh, professor of medicine, Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals said an RT-PCR kit for mpox indigenously developed in India delivers results in just 40 minutes and is significantly faster than traditional methods that take 1 to 2 hours. Dr Shaikh said that these kits have a 100 per cent sensitivity and specificity and comply with the highest global standards. Dr Shaikh said that the indigenously developed kits for mpox will be manufactured by a manufacturing unit in Vadodara, which has a production capacity of one million test kits per annum.
First mpox case in India since March
On Sunday, the Union Health Ministry announced the country’s first suspected case of mpox since March but withheld details about the location where the case was detected. The Union Health Ministry informed that a young male patient, who recently travelled from a country currently witnessing mpox transmission, has been identified as a suspect case.
If positive, this would be the 31st case in the country since 2022. “The patient has been isolated at a designated hospital and is currently stable. Samples are being tested to confirm the presence of mpox. The case is being managed according to established protocols, and contact tracing is underway to identify potential sources and assess any impact across the country,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by NCDC and there is no cause of any undue concern. The country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel related cases and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk,” the statement said.
Dr Ishwar Gilada, president emeritus of the AIDS Society of India and a key figure in the early treatment efforts for HIV patients in the 1980s in the city, told mid-day that it has been a longstanding demand to withhold the location of stigmatised infectious diseases in the initial stages to prevent discrimination.
Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the same family of viruses as the one responsible for smallpox. Symptoms typically include rashes on the hands, feet, chest, face, mouth, or near the genitals, which initially appear as pimples or blisters and can become painful. Other common symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle aches. Most people recover within two to four weeks without needing specific treatment.
The virus primarily spreads through close physical contact, including skin-to-skin contact, with infectious lesions or bodily fluids. It can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact. While anyone can contract mpox, men who have sex with men and individuals with multiple sexual partners have been identified as populations at higher risk of transmission due to the nature of close physical contact.
It is worth noting that mpox has not been designated an STD as of now. Dr Gilada further noted that those who were vaccinated against smallpox will not be at risk of contracting the virus. “So, the population at risk are sexually active individuals between about 18 to 40/45,” Dr Gilada said.
With inputs from Eshan Kalyanikar
