In view of monkeypox cases being reported from across the world and the subsequent alert by WHO, the Centre has directed premier health institutes like National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to monitor the situation. Airports are on alert for any symptomatic flyers from affected countries even as health experts are concerned that staff may not be trained for physical detection of monkeypox rashes. 

While cases of monkeypox have not been reported in India yet, but India has a large number of international flyers from Africa and Europe daily, and the health staff screening travellers at the airports are not trained to identify monkeypox rash through physical checks,” said Dr Subhash Hira, professor of Global Health at the University of Washington-Seattle and advisor to WHO-TDR-Geneva.