Navi Mumbai: No plans to create a separate ward for Monkeypox, says NMMC

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has no immediate plan to create a separate ward for monkeypox patients. At present, there are no cases reported from the city.

Earlier, the civic body issued guidelines for hospitals to be followed in order to take precautions against Monkeypox cases. So far in the country, one death was reported due to monkeypox, in Kerala.

Abhijit Bangar, the municipal commissioner, said that the civic body has adequate infrastructure, and that it can be created at any moment. However, there is no immediate plan to do so, he added.

“We are focusing more on creating awareness,” said Bangar, adding that if a separate ward is created, health workers will be required to give special training as monkeypox is different from Covid.

WHO declares Monkeypox 'global health emergency'

While the majority of the countries are still trying to recover from the Covid outbreak infection, the World Health Organization has now declared monkeypox as a global health emergency.

Last month, Bangar held a meeting with the health department and directed to get information about the citizens who have come to Navi Mumbai from abroad and to know their health status. He also directed health employees from 23 urban health posts to visit international travellers home to know their health status.

As the symptoms of the diseases that occur during monsoons are generally the same as monkeypox, the civic chief directed the health department to create widespread public awareness so that the citizens should be aware of the symptoms of monkeypox. The meeting was attended by Additional Commissioner Sanjay Kakade, Medical Health Officer Dr. Pramod Patil, and Assistant Health Officer Dhanwanti Ghadge.

Monkeypox: Causes and Symptoms

Monkeypox is caused by the Orthopoxvirus virus. The symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headache, body ache, extreme fatigue, sweating, rashes on the body, swelling of the lymph glands behind the ear or in the armpit, and the period of monkeypox is usually 6 to 13 days after infection. The infectious period for monkeypox is from 1 to 2 days before the rash appears until the blisters start to scab or heal completely.

Monkeypox can be spread by direct physical contact with a person suffering from monkeypox through bodily fluids, sexual contact, secretions from wounds and sores, or by sharing clothing used by an infected person, prolonged contact with an infected person, or large droplets from the respiratory tract of that person.