Suspected monkeypox patient in Delhi tests negative, discharged from hospital

PTI

New Delhi, July 28

A suspected monkeypox patient, admitted at the LNJP Hospital here, was discharged after testing negative on Thursday, the facility’s medical director said.

Besides, the “repeat samples” taken from the first reported case of monkeypox in Delhi, who is currently admitted at the hospital, have been taken and sent to the National Institute of Virology-Pune, LNJP medical director Suresh Kumar said.

The suspected patient, a resident of Ghaziabad, was brought to the facility by the surveillance team after he developed fever and skin lesions while in Delhi, the senior doctor said.

“The suspected case of monkeypox was brought to LNJP Hospital two days ago. He was discharged today after his reports came back negative yesterday,” Kumar told PTI.

Sources on Wednesday had said the Ghaziabad resident, who is in his 30s, had travelled to Paris over a month ago, and was hospitalised at the central Delhi facility on Tuesday.

Kumar on Thursday said the man had travelled abroad long ago, but recently had undertaken domestic travel.

LNJP Hospital is the nodal facility in Delhi for treating confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox.

“He had lesions and fever. But, this suspected case has been diagnosed with chickenpox. So, only one case of monkeypox in Delhi now,” Kumar said, adding there was no need to panic.

India has reported four cases of monkeypox so far – three from Kerala and one from Delhi—a 34-year-old man here with no history of foreign travel.

Asked about the condition of the Delhi patient, Kumar said, “His vital parameters are normal and lesion condition is improving”.

The man has no history of international travel, but he did attend a stag party in Manali in Himachal Pradesh recently, sources had earlier said.

The LNJP Hospital, which was the nerve centre of the national capital’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, also has constituted a 20-member team comprising dermatologists, physicians, doctors of different specialities, nurses, orderlies and technicians to tackle cases of 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.

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting two to four weeks. It typically presents itself with fever, headache, rashes, sore throat, cough and swollen lymph nodes.