Bengaluru airport begins mandatory Mpox testing for international passengers
Four dedicated kiosks have been set up at the airport for Mpox testing and nearly 2,000 passengers are being screened daily, said airport officials
The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru has made Mpox (Monkeypox) testing mandatory for all its international passengers.
This measure comes into effect after India’s first confirmed case of Mpox (Monkeypox) was recorded in Delhi earlier this week. Four dedicated kiosks have been set up at the airport to ensure that every international traveller undergoes testing for the viral infection closely related to smallpox.
According to airport officials, around 2,000 passengers are being screened daily, as efforts are on to strictly monitor and curb the entry of the virus into Karnataka. There’s even a designated officer appointed to supervise the entire process from screening, testing, and tracking.
Isolation zone
A Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) spokesperson told the media that KIA is fully geared up to follow all the health and safety protocols issued by relevant authorities amid the global Mpox situation.
Further, the spokesperson added that all international passengers arriving from countries where Mpox is rampant, like the African countries, are being checked. As part of the screening process their temperatures are checked, said the officials.
Moreover, an isolation zone has also been set up at the airport for managing any suspected cases promptly. And, if a person is found to be infected, he or she will be isolated and placed under a 21-day quarantine. They will have to follow protocols similar to those implemented during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
After treatment, re-testing will be conducted and only when individuals are confirmed free of the virus will they be allowed to leave the quarantine, said the airport authorities.
Mpox symptoms
The symptoms of Mpox include fever, skin rashes, severe headaches, muscle stiffness, and back pain. Currently, there is no treatment approved specifically for
For most patients with mpox who have intact immune systems and don't have a skin disease, supportive care and pain control will help them recover without medical treatment.
WHO response
The World Health Organization (WHO) has not declared Mpox as a pandemic but has triggered some measures that are designed to prevent one.
However, it has declared the current upsurge of Mpox in central Africa as a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern). This is the highest alert level for events that constitute a public health risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response. But, it has not been likened to Covid-19, as a official recently said that “Mpox is not the new COVID”, which means it is unlikely it will end up as a pandemic.