BENGALURU: An African national, who is suspected to have contracted monkeypox, has been isolated at a private hospital in Bengaluru. His samples were sent for testing to NIV, Pune, on Thursday evening, and reports are awaited, sources said.
The African had arrived from Ethiopia on July 4 to undergo a kidney transplant at a private hospital. He was undergoing dialysis and pre-transplant evaluations, and showed symptoms of monkeypox, including rashes on the skin. Since he is from Ethiopia and the incubation period of the virus sometimes stretches beyond 20 days, his blood and skin lesions were sent for testing. He is under treatment at the private hospital, sources said.
So far, this is the second suspected sample of monkeypox sent for testing from Karnataka. The first sample was of a person from Bengaluru with a travel history to the United Kingdom, and was sent to NIV, Pune, last week from a private hospital in Bengaluru. The report came negative, sources said.
The Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMRCI) was already identified as one of the 15 designated labs in the country for monkeypox surveillance by NIV ICMR. Samples of suspected cases from Bengaluru were received by VRDL and sent to NIV, Pune. The lab was identified for testing from Thursday, but is awaiting testing kits. “We are on high alert. We have directed private hospitals to alert the health department whenever they come across suspect cases,” health officials said.