Delhi man diagnosed with monkeypox may not have infected others

Subhash Rajta

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Shimla, July 25

The Delhi man, who has been diagnosed with monkeypox, is unlikely to have infected anyone in the state during his visit here in 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 (NHM), here today.

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

He said, “We have sought information from the Union Health Ministry about the places he went and people he came in touch with. Once we get the information, we will move forward accordingly.”

Meanwhile, the NHM has put all Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) on alert. “If any individual has rashes or lesion, he should get it checked in the nearby medical facility. All CMOs have been alerted in this regard,” he said.

He said that select medical colleges have been identified to create isolation facility for monkeypox patients.