Monkeypox: Telangana's first sample negative but another suspected case notified

Hyderabad: Samples of a suspected monkeypox case in Telangana have tested negative at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. The 40-year-old from Kamareddy district who was admitted in Fever Hospital was said to be a "highly suspicious" case. However, he tested negative.

Meanwhile, another case from Khammam of suspected monkeypox has been notified. The patient is being shifted to Hyderabad for further diagnosis.

Director of public health Dr. G. Srinivasa Rao on Tuesday said, "The sample sent to NIV Pune for monkeypox testing is found to be negative. No need to panic."

The patient had rashes on his body which were more than 3 millimeters wide. Due to this, it was considered a highly suspicious case. Doctors at Fever Hospital conducted blood and urine tests and also collected samples of crusts of the lesions.

Which other diseases cause rashes?

Rashes are caused by viral and bacterial diseases. Rashes appear in the case of chicken pox, scarlet fever, mumps, scrub typhus, dengue, and typhoid.

Dr. Ravi Kumar, a senior professor and pediatrician at Niloufer Hospital, explains, "In chicken pox, the size of the rashes and boils differs. It can be less than one millimeter and more than 3 millimeters. There are a variety of lesions. In measles, the lesions are less than one millimeter. So, diagnosis is not easy."

Dr. Kumar advises people to refrain from self-diagnosis and not indulge in unnecessary experiments. "Monkeypox is not like Covid-19. It is not like cough, cold, or fever that can be self-diagnosed and self-medicated. People must not take it upon themselves but visit the hospitals for their own and others' safety."