India issues Monkeypox guidelines for international travellers

Agencies | New Delhi                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released guidelines to manage the spread of monkeypox in the country.

The advisory comes after Kerala's Health Minister reported India's first case of the disease on Thursday.

According to the advisory, travellers should avoid:

• Close contact with sick people, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions

• Contact with dead or live wild animals such as small mammals, including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes)

• Eating or preparing meat from wild game (bushmeat) or using products derived from wild animals from Africa (creams, lotions, powders)

• Contact with contaminated materials used by sick people (such as clothing, bedding, or materials used in healthcare settings) or that came into contact with infected animals

Travellers should consult the nearest health facility if:

• You develop symptoms suggestive of monkeypox like fever with rash

• You were in an area where monkeypox has been reported

• You had contact with a person that might have had monkeypox.