The Telangana government is prepared to conduct monkeypox testing at Gandhi Hospital and provide accurate reports in case of an outbreak.
Earlier this week, Prof Dr. K Nagamani, Head of the Department of Microbiology at Gandhi Hospital, was quoted as saying that the test results would be released by the hospital’s diagnostic center. Upon approval from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), the results can be released.
Earlier, Telangana health minister T Harish Rao had requested that a special center be established at Gandhi Hospital for testing Monkeypox samples. Nevertheless, the suspected monkeypox patients’ samples were sent to NIV in Pune.
Since the country is experiencing an increase in cases, the state needs its own diagnosis center for easy and timely ingress of results. Gandhi Hospital already has a diagnostic center for Telangana.
Dr. Nagamani said that the setup used during the COVID-19 pandemic can also be used for monkeypox samples.
In addition, she mentioned that they are waiting for approval to begin testing samples in Telangana and that the staff is well trained to collect samples from suspected monkeypox patients. There are also reagents and test kits available at the hospital, according to Dr. Nagamani.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) operates 15 diagnostic and research laboratories in the country. More monkeypox testing laboratories are planned across the country by the Centre.
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It is also worth noting that Dr. Rakesh Mishra, noted scientist and director of Tata Institute for Genetics & Society (TIGS), Bengaluru, said that there is no need to be alarmed about the cases surfacing across the nation since monkeypox is not similar to COVID. Furthermore, it is less contagious, does not spread through the air, and only close proximity over a prolonged period, skin-to-skin contact, or exchange of bodily fluids can lead to infection.
Since the viruses causing monkeypox and smallpox are closely related, the smallpox vaccine can protect against monkeypox. Currently, monkeypox can be prevented with two FDA-approved vaccines. Although monkeypox has no approved treatment, antiviral drugs used for smallpox may be helpful here as well, he explained.
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