The Telangana government is gearing up to tackle monkeypox and has designated a state-run hospital in Hyderabad as the nodal facility to treat patients, state Health Minister T Harish Rao said on Monday, July 25. The government is mulling to put in place testing facilities at airports to test those arriving from foreign countries, especially African nations, he said. "We are consulting with the Union government. We are looking at putting in place testing centres in airports and testing those coming from foreign countries, especially African countries," he said.
The state government was awaiting the test results of a 35-year old resident of Telangana who had travel history to Kuwait, he said. The samples of the person, who has symptoms similar to that of the disease, have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for monkeypox. The samples are also being tested at the Gandhi Government Hospital in Hyderabad. The test result is expected to be received either Monday night or by Tuesday. The man, with suspected symptoms of monkeypox, has been shifted to the fever hospital in Hyderabad, the Health Minister said.
The state government has made the fever hospital the nodal hospital to treat patients of monkeypox and the Gandhi hospital as the testing centre, Harish Rao said. "Whatever it is, the government is fully prepared. The machinery is geared up and we have procured the testing kits," he said. Harish Rao held a video conference with officials along with other state ministers on Monday on seasonal diseases, dengue, COVID-19 and others.
On administering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, he said the government has fixed targets for district Collectors. The booster doses would be administered at all colleges and schools in the next month, he said, adding that officials have been directed to take steps to give the booster shots by visiting homes.