Big relief as Vizag medico tests negative for monkeypox

VISAKHAPATNAM: Much to the relief of the district officials, the 23-year-old medico from Visakhapatnam, who reportedly had monkeypox symptoms, has tested negative.He has been treated in the teaching hospital of a private medical college in the city, where he is studying final year, ever since he fell ill. After he started showing symptoms of the viral zoonosis infection, he was isolated as a precautionary measure. A rapid response team from Andhra Medical College took his samples for testing on August 6.

District Medical and Health Officer Dr Vijayalakshmi told TNIE that the rashes that appeared on his body were turning black, which is not the case with monkeypox rashes as they appear red.The DMHO said the medico will be discharged as his test results from National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, came negative on Monday evening.She said that he would have contracted another disease which has symptoms akin to monkeypox.

The State has not reported a single positive case of monkeypox so far. In terms of suspected cases, besides the one from Vizag, a two-year-old girl from Vijayawada and an 8-year-old boy from Guntur, who were suspected to have contracted monkeypox, tested negative. At present, India’s monkeypox positive cases stand at nine.

The very first case of monkeypox in the country was reported on July 14 after a Keralite who returned from the UAE tested positive for it.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms akin to smallpox patients in the past, though it is clinically less severe.