Tamil Nadu health secretary writes to district collectors to step up vigil for monkeypox

People who report unexplained rashes, those who have travelled in the past 21 days to a country with confirmed or suspected monkeypox cases or those who have reported contact with confirmed or suspected monkeypox patients are to be placed under surveillance.

Tamil Nadu health secretary J Radhakrishnan. (Photo: Facebook)

Tamil Nadu health secretary J Radhakrishnan wrote to all district collectors and the Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner on Monday on the preventive steps to be taken in view of the monkeypox outbreak reported from countries such as the UK, the US, Australia and Canada.

Radhakrishnan said in a statement that he was sharing with the officials an advisory he had received from the National Centre for Disease Control on the viral zoonotic disease. People who report unexplained rashes, those who have travelled in the past 21 days to a country with a recently confirmed or suspected monkeypox case and those who have reported contact with confirmed or suspected monkey pox patients are to be placed under surveillance.

“All suspected cases to be isolated at designated healthcare facilities until all lesions have resolved and a fresh layer of skin has formed OR until the treating physician decides to end isolation,” the statement said.

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All such patients should be reported to the district surveillance officer of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and all infection control practices are to be followed while treating such patients.

Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan writes to district collectors and Greater Chennai Corporation requesting them to step up the precautionary measures over the spread of #monkeypox virus in other countries. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/qykix91xXN

— Janardhan Koushik (@koushiktweets) May 23, 2022

The health department would be sending laboratory samples consisting of fluids from vesicles, blood, sputum etc to Pune’s National Institute of Virology for monkeypox testing in case of suspicion. If a positive case is detected, his or her contacts from the previous 12 days need to be traced immediately.

A couple of days ago, the state reported its first case of Omicron’s BA.4 subvariant after a teenager tested Covid positive.

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