The Odisha government on Tuesday urged the Centre to provide kits to the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), Bhubaneswar, for detection of the monkeypox virus.
State health minister Naba Kishore Das has written to union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya in this regard.
In the letter, Das said there has been an outbreak of monkeypox virus across the globe, mostly in African countries with India reporting some such cases.
It is imperative to ensure laboratory preparedness for detection of the pathogen in all states. The health department of Odisha has already taken proactive steps and instructed medical colleges and district-level health centres for screening of monkeypox based on clinical features and patient history.
The Regional Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at RMRC Bhubaneswar, should be provided with the requisite kits and controls to ensure preparedness for laboratory testing of monkeypox, the letter read.
Das informed that the RMRC Bhubaneswar and the regional level VRDL at the centre have provided considerable support to the public health system in the state during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease.
"It is, therefore, requested that the laboratory be provided with the kits for screening for orthopoxviruses to ensure preparedness to handle the looming public health threat posed by monkeypox," he added.
Not a single monkeypox case has been detected in Odisha so far.