GUNTUR / KURNOOL: Tension prevailed after a suspected monkeypox case was reported in Guntur on Saturday. An eight-year-old boy was admitted to Guntur GGH with monkeypox symptoms.
According to health officials, the boy’s parents are daily wage workers from Odisha. They came to Yedlpapdu in Palnadu district in search of work 15 days ago. However, after a week, the boy developed fever and rashes.
Though his parents initially thought it was nothing serious, however, the boy’s condition didn’t get better even after a week, they panicked and rushed him to Guntur GGH on July 28. The doctors examined the boy and noticed rashes and fever, both symptoms of the zoonotic disease, and shifted him to an isolated ward.
Speaking to TNIE, GGH resident medical officer Sathish Kumar said, “The boy is undergoing treatment in a special ward and his health condition is stable. As a preventive measure, his parents have been kept under observation. His samples were sent to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad.”Monkeypox is a viral infection that can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread from person to person. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain fatigue, and swollen lymph.
Kurnool GGH gears up to tackle monkeypox
Kurnool Government General Hospital authorities have geared up to tackle monkeypox cases in the district and arranged special wards to admit symptomatic patients. A 50-bed special isolation unit will cater to the needs of such patients.In addition, the authorities have also reserved a few beds in general medical units in view of rising seasonal diseases, like chikungunya, dengue, malaria. Speaking with TNIE, hospital superintendent Dr Narendranath Reddy said the GGH has sufficient ICU bedded units to admit suspected monkeypox patients.
Special units with proper equipment and experienced doctors have been readied to provide medicare to the needy, he added. The hospital has specialist doctors to treat patients, he said. Narendranath Reddy mentioned that not a single suspected monkeypox case was reported, however, the hospital is regularly admitting hundreds of patients from Bellary of Karnataka, erstwhile Mahabubnagar of Telangana and Rayalaseema district. The Government General Hospital superintendent appealed to the public to stay alert and follow health tips to protect themselves against diseases.