Mpox Patient at Delhi's LNJP Hospital Recovering Well, Medical Director Says No Need to Panic

The mpox patient undergoing treatment at LNJP Hospital here is recovering well, the hospital’s Medical Director Suresh Kumar said on Thursday.

“Mpox is a DNA virus and its rashes typically appear on the palms, soles and skin as maculopapular lesions, which are larger and more pronounced.These can also develop into ulcerated rashes and large skin lesions,” Kumar told PTI Videos.

“The patient at LNJP is recovering well, so there is no need to panic,” he added.

The Union Home Ministry had on Monday confirmed the mpox case, saying, “The individual, a young male, who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing mpox transmission, is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. The patient remains clinically stable and is without any systemic illness or comorbidities”.

The ministry had stated that it was an isolated case, similar to the 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards. “It is not part of the current public health emergency reported by WHO, which pertains to clade 1 of Mpox,” it said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa.

The 26-year-old patient, a resident of Haryana’s Hisar, was admitted to the Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital on September 7.

The case aligns with earlier risk assessments and continues to be managed according to established protocols, the home ministry had said, adding that public health measures, including contact tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained.

“There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time,” it had said.

While the LNJP has been designated as the nodal facility, two other hospitals are on standby.

The LNJP Hospital has a total of 20 isolation rooms for the patients, including 10 for confirmed cases.

The Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital and Baba Saheb Ambedkar will have 10 rooms each for such patients, with five rooms each for suspected cases.