VISAKHAPATNAM: Health officials of Visakhapatnam went into a tizzy on Saturday after a final year medico of a private medical college in the city, with a travel history to Hyderabad, developed symptoms similar to monkeypox. The 23-year-old medico is being treated in the same teaching hospital of the medical college, where he fell ill.
District Medical and Health Officer Dr Vijayalakshmi said a rapid response team from Andhra Medical College was sent to the hospital on Friday evening after the hospital officials reported the first suspected monkeypox case. The team consisted of assistant professors of dermatology, microbiology and other departments concerned and two technicians. His samples were collected on Saturday to send to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for testing, the DMHO said.
As soon as the District Medical Health Department was informed of the suspected monkeypox symptoms, District Collector A Mallikarjuna directed officials to trace the persons the medico came in contact with in recent times. “This is a suspected case with high-risk behaviour. However, we have been told that the rashes that appeared on his body are turning black, which is not the case with monkeypox rashes as they appear red,” the DMHO said.