Negative pressure wards for mpox set up at RGGGH

CHENNAI: To handle any potential mpox cases, two special isolation wards with 10 beds each have been set up at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) here. They comprise of a 5-bed male ward and a 5-bed female ward.

They are negative pressure wards which follow an isolation technique that helps prevent cross-contamination between rooms. It is done by keeping the air pressure inside the room lower than the air pressure outside the room, which curbs pathogens from flowing to adjoining, non-contaminated areas when the door of the room is opened.

State health minister Ma Subramanian inspected the special isolation wards set up for mpox cases at the RGGGH on Tuesday.

An awareness seminar was also held for the doctors on mpox prevention and control measures. As many as 200 doctors at the health facility have been trained to handle any suspected mpox cases.

The special isolation wards alongside screenings at the international airports in Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy, and Madurai, are precautionary measures taken by the Tamil Nadu Health Department, in the wake of mpox being declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The health minister noted that passengers arriving from 116 countries are being monitored at the airports.

Although no cases of mpox have been reported in India, including Tamil Nadu, special wards with 10 beds each have been set up at four government medical college hospitals in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, and Madurai to tackle suspected cases, he added. They are the RGGH, the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchy, and the Medical College Hospital in Coimbatore.

What is mpox:

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but typically causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches.

It mostly spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact with an infected patient, including sexual intercourse.

People with more serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.

Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and its patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management.

Last Tuesday, Congo — the hardest-hit country — reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases over the previous week. In its latest update on the outbreak, the African Centres for Disease Control reported that as of Thursday, more than 21,300 suspected or confirmed cases and 590 deaths have been reported this year in 12 African countries.

(With PTI inputs)