New Delhi, Aug 02, 2022, By Special Correspondent

New Delhi, Aug 2: The government has taken various steps to check the spread of monkeypox and to develop testing kits and vaccines even as the total number of such cases rose to eight on Tuesday.

Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya said in the Rajya Sabha that a national task force has been set up to tackle the disease.

He said that till date eight cases of the disease have been detected in India, out of which five have foreign travel history.

WHO has reported 18,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox globally from 78 countries and five deaths till July 27, 2022.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has successfully isolated the monkeypox virus and an expression of interest has been floated for research institutions, vaccine and diagnostic kits manufacturers in India to take the virus strain for further research to develop a vaccine in the country, he said.

The minister said airport and port health officers have been instructed to remain vigilant and undertake rigorous health screening of incoming international passengers.

The National Institute of Virology, Pune, under ICMR, has been designated as a referral laboratory for testing suspected cases. In addition, 15 other ICMR-VRDL (Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory) network laboratories have been optimised to undertake diagnostic testing for monkeypox disease.

He said central teams have been deployed to the affected districts to assist in control and containment efforts by state authorities.

The first case in India was reported from Kerala on July 14.

A 35-year-old man of African origin with no recent history of foreign travel has tested positive for monkeypox in Delhi, making it the country's eighth case of the infection and the city's third, official sources said.