NEW DELHI: With the World Health Organisation declaring M-pox as a public health emergency for international concern, AIIMS Delhi has issued guidelines on M-pox. The guidelines include a standard operating procedure (SOP) for following and handling M-Pox cases in the AIIMS emergency department.
The protocol for handling patients with suspected symptoms includes screening in the triage area, isolation/holding area, notification to the IDSP, referral to Safdarjung Hospital, patient handling and isolation, documentation, and communication.
Screening in the Tianage area is the first step in which patients with suspected symptoms will be assessed and identified; later, those patients will be isolated in the designated isolation area to minimise contact with other patients. The Health Ministry has earlier designated three state-run hospitals in Delhi as M-Pox facility centres namely Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Lady Hardinge.
The next step will be to treat them by the medicine department until they are referred to the hospital earmarked for treatment, one of which is Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. The guideline has also provided the contact details of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) officials to be informed of any suspected case of M-pox and a dedicated ambulance service that will take patients to Safdarjung Hospital.
The guideline also talks about the handling procedure of such patients, where the patients are to be handled with strict infection control measures, and staff handling such patients are also suggested to use a PPE kit. Proper documentation of the details of such patients is also suggested in similar guidelines.
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At present India does not have any identified M-Pox cases, the last one was identified in March this year but, the rising concerns globally and the arrival of it in neighbouring countries including Pakistan and the Philippines have made India take precautionary steps.