The COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended wastewater/sewage surveillance for early detection of Monkeypox in the State.
Members of TAC who deliberated on Monkeypox at the 177th meeting on July 28 were of the opinion that in the epidemiological context of zero case scenario in the State as of now, it is important to look for the presence of Monkeypox virus. “It is recommended to immediately initiate sewage surveillance for detection of the virus in the State,” stated the TAC report.
“As per guidelines released by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) under the Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India, even one case should all be considered as an outbreak and a detailed investigation should be done by the rapid response teams (RRT). Sewage surveillance (detection of Monkeypox viral DNA in a routine wastewater monitoring programme) has been done in the U.S. and a similar exercise should be taken up before any case is confirmed in the State,” TAC sources told The Hindu on Saturday.
“In Karnataka, to begin with, samples from Bangalore International Airport should be tested as soon as possible as this is the entry point of international arrivals,” the sources said. “In this regard, the Infectious Disease Research Foundation in Bengaluru that is entrusted with wastewater/sewage surveillance for COVID-19, has agreed to undertake this task without any financial commitment to the State. The sewage surveillance will lose its relevance if any confirmed case is reported in the State.”
Training
Based on the successful experience of training for COVID-19, the TAC has also recommended that Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences should soon conduct a training on management of Monkeypox for all medical and paramedical personnel. Besides, it has also recommended that all healthcare institutions in the State should comply with the NCDC guidelines on prevention and control of the disease.
On July 23, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Monkeypox as a disease of public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The WHO has emphasised that the focus for all countries must be engaging and empowering communities of men who have sex with men (MSM) to reduce the risk of infection and onward transmission.
In India, till July 28, four cases have been reported – three from Kerala (international arrivals from Middle East, with one entering via Mangaluru airport) and one from Delhi without any travel history.
Lab yet to get nod
Although the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) lab at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) is one of the 15 designated labs in the country to test samples for presence of Monkeypox virus, it is yet to get a nod from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, to start testing.
Sources said even after the lab was designated, it had not received testing kits for sometime. “Although testing kits have arrived, the NIV is yet to give its nod to start testing. Hence, we had sent the African national’s samples to NIV for testing. Even if we start testing, we may have to send the reports to NIV for validation for sometime,” sources in the lab said.
