CHENNAI: The King Institute Laboratory at Guindy, one of the 15 Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories of the Indian Council of Medical Research, has been granted permission to conduct tests for monkeypox. Till now, samples were being sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV-Pune).
After inspecting the King Institute on Thursday, Health Minister Ma Subramanian told reporters that the institute would test samples from skin, wound, serum, plasma, and urine. These samples would be sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV-Pune) for confirmation.
Subramanian said, TN had two suspected cases of monkeypox. They had returned from Canada and the US and had lesions on their faces. Their samples were sent to NIV-Pune and they tested negative. “As such, there is no case of monkeypox in the State,” he said.
Also, people from the 13 locations along the TN-Kerala border were being screened for monkeypox. This apart, people coming in trains from Kochi and Tiruvananthapuram were being tested for the infection. Screening is conducted for travellers from these places at domestic airports also.
After the infection spread to 77 countries, TN intensified surveillance at international airports in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchy. Not only travellers from these risk countries, but travellers on transit journeys from these countries, too, were being screened, he said.
Health Secretary P Senthilkumar, Director of Medical Education Dr R Narayana Babu, and Director of Public Health Dr T S Selvavinayagam were present during the inspection.