Hyderabad: In the event of an outbreak, Telangana is prepared to conduct monkeypox testing at Gandhi Hospital and provide accurate reports independently.
Prof Dr K Nagamani, Head of the Department of Microbiology, Gandhi Hospital told The New Indian Express on Tuesday that the diagnostic centre at the hospital will be able to release the test results. “The results can be released once the National Institute of Virology (NIV) allows us to do so,” she said.
Earlier, Telangana health minister T Harish Rao had asked to set up a special centre at Gandhi Hospital to test samples of suspected monkeypox cases in the state. However, the samples of the suspected monkeypox patients were sent to NIV in Pune.
As the country is witnessing an increase in cases, the state needs its own diagnosis centre to ingress results easily and as early as possible. Telangana already has a diagnostic centre in Gandhi Hospital.
“The setup established at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic can be used to conduct the monkeypox samples as well,” Dr Nagamani said.
She also said about how they are waiting for a yes to start testing samples in Telangana and added about the staff being well trained to collect samples from suspected monkeypox patients. Reagents and kits for tests are also available at the hospital, Dr Nagamani said.
Presently, there are 15 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMRs) trained in research and diagnostic laboratories in the country that runs tests and provides results. The Centre is planning on turning out some more laboratories across the country as monkeypox testing labs.
