Tamil Nadu has in place mass fever screening systems in all four international airports, and isolation wards are ready in airports as well as four designated government hospitals, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said on Monday (September 9, 2024), a day after India reported a suspected case of mpox.
“No case of mpox has been identified in Tamil Nadu so far. The State is ready with testing and treatment facilities. All precautionary measures have also been taken,” the Minister told reporters on the sidelines of an event at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai.
On Sunday (September 9, 2024), the Union government informed that a person with suspected symptoms of mpox was identified, isolated, and being treated. His condition was stable, the Mr. Subramanian said, adding, “As soon as we received this information, we contacted the Union government and were told that details of which country he had returned from and the place of hospitalisation were kept confidential. But he was doing well.”
As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, the four international airports in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchi have mass fever screening systems, and continuous monitoring of travellers is underway. “At all four airports, medical isolation wards have been readied. In addition, digital boards with information on symptoms of mpox and seeking medical help have been put up at the airports,” he said.
Isolation wards for mpox were set up in four government hospitals in these cities – namely, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, Government Medical College Hospital, Coimbatore and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Tiruchi. Each ward had 10 beds.
The Union government has identified 22 laboratories across the country for testing for mpox. In Tamil Nadu, the laboratory identified is on the premises of the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Guindy. The agents and equipment required for testing are ready, he added.
Facilities inaugurated
Mr. Subramanian inaugurated a number of facilities at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. This included a drug information centre set up in collaboration with C.L. Baid Metha College of Pharmacy. It will provide vital information and clarify all drug and medicine-related questions such as drug interactions, side effects, and dose adjustments, with special considerations for vulnerable demographics such as geriatric, paediatric, and pregnant women. A low-vision clinic was also inaugurated, according to a press release.
The Minister commissioned medical equipment donated by MRF as a part of their corporate social responsibility initiative. The equipment, worth ₹50 lakh, included operation theatre tables and lights and ultrasound scan machine. He also distributed identity tags to in-patients and attendant passes to reduce crowding at the wards.
Chennai Mayor R. Priya, Member of Parliament Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, Member of Legislative Assembly R.D. Sekar, secretary of C.L. Baid Metha College Ramesh, and Stanley dean P. Balaji were among those present.
Published - September 09, 2024 03:01 pm IST
