Telangana Health Minister T Harish Rao on Monday said the state government is alert over monkeypox though no cases or even suspected cases have been reported in the state.
Apart from setting up a special center for diagnosis at the state-run Gandhi Hospital, the Fever Hospital of the government has been designated as a nodal hospital for immediate treatment of suspected cases, he said. He held a video conference with doctors of TVVP (Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad) and others, an official release said.
The meeting was held to create awareness about the symptoms, tests, identification, and treatment of monkeypox in view of cases being reported in the country, it said. Talking about the arrangements to deal with monkeypox, he said RTPCR tests would be done in Gandhi hospital and that the samples would be sent to the lab in Pune for confirmation of the positive strain.
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The minister suggested that all the doctors should enhance their awareness of the symptoms, tests, and treatment of monkeypox and explain it to the field-level staff. "As soon as the suspected symptoms related to the virus are identified, samples should be collected from the victims, and tests are done," he said. He also directed that the doctors should be alert about a possible rise in seasonal diseases in view of heavy rains lashing the state last week.
If necessary, the time allotted in government hospitals for treating outpatients should be increased to provide necessary medical services to the people. The minister also instructed that a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine should be provided to those who are over 18 years and who completed six months after taking the second dose.
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In view of the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in many states, he called for a campaign to make people aware of the availability of booster doses. Harish Rao, a nephew of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, advised officials to speed up the vaccination process by taking the help of local public representatives.
