An 8-year-old boy in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur reported monkeypox symptoms, said officials on Saturday.. The boy was admitted to Guntur's Government General Hospital.
"It is a suspected case of monkeypox. For confirmation, we have taken samples which are being sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune and Gandhi Hospital in Secunderabad for confirmation", District medical and Health Officer, Guntur, Dr Sumaiya Khan said.
The boy is currently quarantined and being treated in a specialised unit. Following the study, GGH officials said that additional action will be taken.
Notably, India has reported four cases of monkeypox so far, three of which are from Kerala and one from Delhi. Following this, the central government is on high alert, despite the fact that the number of infections in some other countries has risen.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic virus from the genus Orthopoxvirus. This virus primarily spreads from animals to humans. Its symptoms include fever, enlarged lymph nodes and a rash that transforms into blisters. These blisters crust over time and become itchy. They are sometimes painful. The gestation period of the monkeypox virus is between 5 to 21 days.
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The disease is mainly found in Africa. However, over the last few months, it has spread into over seventy countries.
The true burden of cases is unknown. In Nigeria, since 2017, 200 cases had been detected. The fatality rate in the country was 3 per cent.
The disease has no cure. A study, however, suggested that the smallpox vaccine can prove to be effective against the virus.
