Delhi man diagnosed with monkeypox unlikely to have infected anyone in Himachal, say health authorities

Subhash Rajta

Shimla, July 25  

The Delhi man diagnosed with monkeypox is unlikely to have infected anyone in Himachal during his visit here towards the end of June, say health authorities. “The maximum incubation period of the disease is 21 days and if someone had contracted the infection from him, the case would have come to light by now,” said Hemraj Bairwa, MD, National Health Mission.

“He was in the state in the last week of June, and already 25 days in the month of July have elapsed. So, it’s unlikely that someone caught infection from him,” said Bairwa.

Except confirming the infected person’s presence in the state in June end, health officials have little information about the itinerary of the individual. “We have sought information from the Union Health Ministry about the places he went to and people he came in touch with. Once we get the information, we will move forward as per the guidelines,” said Bairwa, adding that the person’s presence in Manali is also not confirmed yet.

Even as no suspected case of monkeypox has been reported in the state so far, NHM has put all Chief Medical Officers on alert. “If any individual has a rash or lesion, he should get it checked in the nearby medical facility. All CMOs have already been alerted in this regard,” the MD said.

He further said that select medical colleges have been zeroed in to create the isolation facility for the monkeypox patients. “If there’s a monkeypox case in the state, we will have the isolation facility ready in select medical colleges to treat them. Right now, there’s no need for anyone to hit the panic button,” said Bairwa.