Some relief as Gaya man tests negative for monkeypox

PATNA: The sample of a 22-year-old man from Gaya has tested negative for monkeypox, much to the relief of the state health department. The sample of the patient, who had shown signs of monkeypox like fever, malaise, rashes, sore throat and loss of appetite, was sent to AIIMS-Patna for test on August 2.
Health department additional chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit said the five specimens - plasma, serum, urine, nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal and lesion swab - were collected for the test.
Meanwhile, the health department on Wednesday organised a workshop on 'Monkeypox disease and method of sample collection for the virus' at the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare. State surveillance officer of Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) Dr Ranjeet Kumar said the participants were imparted training on the methods of sample collection for monkeypox.
The workshop was organised under the chairmanship of additional executive director of State Health Society Keshavendra Kumar. Heads of microbiology department of several medical college and hospitals, IDSP state team, epidemiologists and lab technicians from all the districts participated in it.
Dr Kumar said as of now, samples for monkeypox can be sent to 11 different labs outside Bihar and efforts are on to start this test in the state too.
The Union health ministry on Wednesday came up with a list of dos and don'ts in case of monkeypox. It said the infected people should maintain distance from others, clean their hands with water and soap, use sanitizer, masks and disposable gloves. In the category of don'ts, the ministry has advised infected people not to share bed linens and towels with others. Those having monkeypox symptoms should avoid going to public events, it said.