Symptomatic travelers should be tested for Monkeypox: TN to airports

The Tamil Nadu Government has asked airports in the state to subject to sample testing for monkeypox international travelers with symptoms of fever, headache, muscle ache and exhaustion. They also said any sick traveler from affected countries should be isolated and tested for monkeypox.

In a letter to directors of airports at Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, and Thoothukudi, Director of Public Health Dr T S Selva Vinayagam said monkeypox begins with fever, headache, muscle ache, and exhaustion and its incubation period is usually 7-14 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.

Though monkeypox has not been reported in India, Selva Vinayagam said, with new cases being detected from various countries, chances of this disease occurring in India cannot be ruled out. “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,” he said in a letter to health care officials.

The DPH also asked health officials to report such patients to the district Surveillance Officer of the Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme.

In the letter to airport directors, Dr Selva Vinayagam said any sick traveler from the affected countries may be isolated and samples should be sent to the BSL4 facility of ICMR-NIV, Pune through the State Public Health Laboratory.

He said samples such as fluid from vesicles, blood and sputum drawn from isolated patients will be sent to the ICMR-NIV for PCR test.