Baby girl tests negative for monkeypox in AP

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PTI, Jul 17, 2022, 6:49 PM IST

Amaravati: A two-year-old girl was suspected of having contracted monkeypox in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, but a blood test at the National Institute of Virology in Pune confirmed it was negative.

State Director of Health J Nivas said the two-year-old returned to Vijayawada from Dubai and developed blisters on his hands.

She was admitted to the government general hospital and kept in solitary confinement as a precaution, along with her family members on Sunday.

“We sent the baby’s blood sample by flight to NIV-Pune for testing and it came back negative for monkeypox,” Nivas said in a statement. The baby’s family has not come into contact with anyone else, he added.

“There are no cases of monkeypox in PA. There is nothing to worry about,” Nivas said.

The country reported its first case of monkeypox on July 14 with a Keralite who returned from the United Arab Emirates testing positive for the virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

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