BENGALURU; The test report of a middle-aged African national from Ethiopia who had come to Bengaluru earlier this month, and was suspected to have monkeypox symptoms has been tested negative. His report has confirmed that it is a case of chickenpox.
Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has confirmed this. The minister stated that all symptomatic travellers arriving from affected countries to Bengaluru or Mangaluru international airports are being screened for fever, chills, sweats, lymph node swelling, headache, muscle ache, exhaustion, sore throat, cough or skin rashes and they are isolated and tested, he said.
As the Ethiopian arrived with his brother and cousin sister, both of them are being monitored. There have not been any further suspected cases received from any part of the State at VRDL of BMCRI, health department sources said.
This African national arrived from Ethiopia on July 4 to undergo Kidney transplantation at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was undergoing dialysis and pre-transplant evaluations. Since he showed symptoms of monkeypox including lesions on skin samples of his blood and skin lesions were sent for testing for monkeypox on Thursday evening, to NIV Pune through Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute. He is isolated and treated at the same private hospital, sources said.
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When asked, the health department sources said since the African national is suffering from a Kidney issue and is undergoing dialysis, his immune system would be weak. "He might have suffered chicken pox at some point of life earlier and that virus would have manifested now," they said.
Health department sources also said that they are on high alert and the surveillance has been intensified at entry points of not just airports but even entry points to the state and hospitals. Since the rashes in the internal parts of body cannot be screened, people arriving from affected countries, or those who have been exposed to any case of monkeypox or even suspected case are being urged to declare it themselves. They are being requested to isolate themselves at home for 21 days in case they have symptoms, they said.
The case of this Ethiopian was the second suspected case of monkeypox in the state. Earlier, a report of a person from Bengaluru with a travel history of the UK was also negative for monkeypox.