No suspected monkeypox case in Amritsar district: Health officials

Amritsar, July 28

With reports of suspected monkeypox patients being admitted to Government Medical College here appearing in a section of the media, officials of the Health Department have termed these as false.

Civil Surgeon Dr Charanjit Singh said, “No suspected case of monkeypox is admitted to any hospital in the district.” He said senior medical officers and medical officers in the district had been asked to look for patients having symptoms of monkeypox, but not even a single such case was reported.

Its symptoms & recovery period

• Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting two to four weeks. The case fatality ratio has historically ranged from zero to 11 per cent in the general population and has been higher among young children.
• It typically presents itself with fever, headache, rashes for up to three weeks, sore throat, cough and swollen lymph nodes.
• The symptoms include lesions, which usually begin within one to three days of the onset of fever, last for around two to four weeks. A notable predilection for palm and soles is a characteristic of monkeypox.

“Around 4,000 patients visit OPDs in different government hospitals of the district every day. If a suspected case is reported, we will immediately ascertain his or her travel history and then proceed accordingly,” said the Civil Surgeon.

He said people should not believe in such rumours and check facts from verified sources. The Civil Surgeon said the district was fully equipped to deal with any situation. “We have a lab at Government Medical College ready for testing such patients. GMC also has all necessary equipment and separate space for isolating such patients,” he added. — TNS

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

How does it spread?

Human-to-human transmission is known to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring a prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material.

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