Telangana’s first suspected monkeypox case reported in Kamareddy

HYDERABAD: The first suspected case of monkeypox in the state was reported in Kamareddy on Sunday. The patient, who had returned from Kuwait earlier this month, was shifted to the monkeypox isolation ward at the Fever Hospital in Nallakunta and tested on Sunday evening. None of his six contacts showed any symptoms, an official said.

Director of public health (DPH) Dr G. Srinivasa Rao, in a release, stated that the patient, a 40-year-old man from Indiranagar Colony, Kamareddy district, arrived from Kuwait on July 6 and had developed fever on July 20. He developed rashes on July 23 and visited a private hospital in Kamareddy the next morning. The doctor identified symptoms of monkeypox and referred him to the Kamareddy district hospital.

The patient was then sent to Fever Hospital in an ambulance. The DPH said samples collected from the patient would be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Until then, he would be kept in isolation in the Fever Hospital and provided treatment. Officials identified six people who had direct contact with this person. None of them had any symptoms. However, they have been isolated. The DPH advised people not to worry about monkeypox and it was not a fatal disease.

There are two isolation wards at Fever Hospital — one for males and another for females - with a total of 36 beds.

On Sunday, India's fourth confirmed case of monkeypox was detected in New Delhi. Before this, three cases were confirmed in Kerala. As per directions issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, all airports, including the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, set up thermal screening since May 20.