In yet another suspected case of monkeypox, the samples collected from a 40 year old man were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Monday.
Five samples including swab from throat, blood, urine and from lesions on skin have been sent and the man is currently in isolation at Fever Hospital in Hyderabad.
According to Fever Hospital superintendent Dr K. Shankar, the condition of the man is stable and the results are likely to be available by Tuesday evening.
Dr Shankar said the patient is restless and has a running fever.
He said, “The lesions on his neck, hands and chest are like lesions from Monkeypox. It may also be chickenpox.”
The samples were collected after the man was shifted from his home town Kamareddy to Hyderabad on Sunday evening.
According to officials, the patient arrived in Kamareddy from Kuwait on July 6 and developed fever on July 20 and later when there were rashes on the body, he approached a private hospital in the town.
Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao said the man’s six close contacts were also identified. “Though they have no symptoms, the authorities kept them in isolation as a precautionary measure,” said Rao.
The health department is also trying to trace those who came into contact with them during the last few days.
The director of public health said that people need not panic over Monkeypox as it is not a fatal disease.
This is the first suspected case of Monkeypox in Telangana. Neighbouring Andhra Pradesh had reported the first suspected case on July 17. A two-year-old child, who had gone to Dubai with family, was found with skin rashes on return. However, the samples sent to NIV, Pune tested negative for Monkeypox.