Suspected monkeypox case detected in HP’s Baddi

A 35-year-old man is suspected to have contracted monkeypox in the industrial town of Baddi in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district

SHIMLA A 35-year-old man is suspected to have contracted monkeypox in the industrial town of Baddi in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district, health officials said on Saturday.

The patient, who has no travel history to a foreign country, has scabs on his hands and feet, similar to those seen in other viral ‘pox’ diseases such as chicken pox and smallpox. (Representative Image/HT File)

The patient, who has no travel history to a foreign country, has scabs on his hands and feet, similar to those seen in other viral ‘pox’ diseases such as chicken pox and smallpox, a health department spokesperson said.

The patient has been exhibiting the symptoms for around 21 days. His symptoms are improving,” he said, adding that the patient has been isolated, and contact tracing is underway to check the spread of the disease. The patient’s samples have been sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune, to confirm his diagnosis.

Earlier, a New Delhi-resident visiting Manali had contracted monkeypox symptoms. The department has urged the public to report to the nearest health centre if they exhibit monkey-pox-like symptoms.

Know the disease

The latency period of the monkeypox virus is 21 days

What is monkeypox? 

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity. The virus is a part of the family of variola virus, which belongs to the genus orthopoxvirus, the virus which causes small pox.

Symptoms

Its symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, respiratory symptoms (sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)

Transmission

The virus spreads from:

1. Coming in contact with monkeypox blisters or scabs

2. Cough or sneeze droplets of an infected person