Patna woman’s samples taken for monkey pox test

The woman does not have any travel history outside Bihar, said an official who went to collect her sample.

Health officials in Bihar’s capital Patna have collected samples of a 45-year-old woman to check for the symptoms of monkey pox, civil surgeon Dr KK Rai said on Tuesday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared monkey pox as a global health emergency. (REUTERS)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared monkey pox as a global health emergency.

“The woman was suffering from mild fever, headache and body pain for past few days and had developed a few rashes in her hands, with no pus in them. At this stage, it seems unlikely she is a candidate of monkey pox,” said Dr Rai.

“We are, however, not taking chances and have collected her samples for tests. The team, including a representative from the World Health Organisation (WHO), visited the woman’s residence in Patna City to collect her blood serum, throat swab and urine samples. We will send her samples for test either to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, or the ICMR laboratory in Kolkata,” he said.

It may take a few days for the results to arrive, said a member of the team which went to collect the samples.

The woman, a beautician, whose husband is a lawyer at the Patna City civil court, does not have any travel history outside Bihar, said an official who went to collect her sample.