Kerala Begins Testing For Monkeypox At The NIV Lab In Alappuzha
Update: 2022-07-19 20:45 IST
This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions.
According to state Health Minister Veena George, the Kerala government began testing for monkeypox infection at the Alappuzha NIV (National Institute of Virology) on Tuesday.
According to George, the testing supplies were brought from Pune NIV, and samples are currently being delivered to Alappuzha from other regions. After the initial monkeypox infection was discovered, it took us three to four days to establish this testing facility in the state.
George stated in a statement that with this, the wait for findings after sending samples to Pune may now be avoided. Using samples from the patient's nose and throat, she explained that RT-PCR testing is used to confirm monkeypox.
The Minister added that there are 28 government laboratories in the state that are capable of doing Covid RT-PCR tests, and that these laboratories may be used if the number of cases rises.
On Monday, India announced the confirmation of a second case of monkeypox in Kerala's Kannur district. A native of Kannur in northwestern Kerala, the patient was receiving care at the Pariyaram Medical College when they arrived in Kerala on July 13.
Monkeypox is a rare but potentially dangerous viral virus that was first identified in a case on July 14 in the Kollam region of south Kerala.
In Thiruvananthapuram, at the Government Medical College Hospital, he is presently receiving medical care. Both of their samples confirmed positive for the virus when they were forwarded to the NIV in Pune. The minister added that everyone who has touch with the patient directly is being strictly watched.
Meanwhile, Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, or a virus that spreads from animals to humans, according to the World Health Organization. It has symptoms resembling those of smallpox but is clinically less severe. Monkeypox has taken over as the most significant orthopoxvirus for public health since smallpox was eradicated in 1980 and smallpox vaccinations were subsequently discontinued.