Monkeypox Outbreak: A two-year-old girl, was suspected to have contracted monkeypox in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh but a blood test at the National Institute of Virology in Pune confirmed it to be negative. State Director of Health J Nivas said the two-year-old child returned to Vijayawada from Dubai and was found to have developed blisters on her hands. She was admitted to the Government General Hospital and kept in isolation as a precaution, along with her family members on Sunday, PTI reported.
“We sent the baby’s blood sample by flight to NIV-Pune for analysis and it turned negative for monkeypox,” Nivas said in a release. The baby’s family did not come into contact with anyone else, he added.
“There are no cases of monkeypox in AP. There is nothing to worry about,” Nivas said.
A child was admitted to Andhra Pradesh’s GGH hospital with monkeypox symptoms. Blood samples were sent to Pune and a report for the same is awaited. The family of the child is kept under home quarantine. The family returned to India from a Saudi Arabia tour yesterday, informed N Rao, Superintendent, GGH Hospital Vijayawada, AP.
Another suspected case in Kerala
A man, who reached Kannur district in Kerala from a Middle East country, was admitted to the government medical college after he showed signs of monkeypox.
The hospital authorities told IANS that the youth was under observation in an isolated ward and that his samples have been sent for testing to the Pune Virology lab.
The youth, according to the hospital authorities, reached Kannur from a Middle East country after landing at Mangaluru airport.
The first monkeypox case in the country was from Kerala. A 35-year-old person from the Kollam district, who arrived from a Middle East country tested positive for monkeypox and is admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital.