Eight cases of monkeypox have been reported so far in India and a national task force has been set up to monitor the development of diagnostics and vaccines, Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya said on Tuesday. Replying to queries in Rajya Sabha during Question Hour, he informed the members about the various steps being taken to prevent the spread of the disease, and to develop testing kits and vaccines.To date eight cases of the disease have been detected in India, out of which five have foreign travel history, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare said.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has successfully isolated the monkeypox virus and an expression of interest has been floated for research institutions, vaccine and diagnostic kits manufacturers in India to take the virus strain for further research to develop a vaccine in the country, he added.The minister was replying to a supplementary question.In a written reply to a question on measures and preventive action initiated by the government, the minister said, "A national task force on monkeypox disease has been constituted to monitor the development of diagnostics and vaccines for the management of monkeypox disease."The minister said the National Institute of Virology, Pune under ICMR has been designated as a referral laboratory for testing suspected cases. Airport and port health officers have been instructed to remain vigilant and undertake rigorous health screening of incoming international passengers.