Turkish man not infected with monkeypox: IEDCR

The Turkish citizen, who was admitted to a hospital under suspicion of being infected with monkeypox, is not infected with the disease.

After conducting various tests, Tahmina Shirin, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed this on Friday.

That man coming from Turkey was taken to Dhaka Infectious Disease Hospital (DIDH) in capital’s Mohakhali right from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on suspicion of being infected with monkeypox on last Tuesday. He went through medical tests there.

However, Director General of Health Department (DGHS) on that very day had said, the symptoms of the Turkish citizen were not of monkeypox.

Ahmedul Kabir, additional director general of DGHS said, the man does not have any symptom of monkeypox. The blisters on his body were caused by long standing skin diseases. Even after that, tests were conducted on him.

Tahmina Shirin, director of IEDCR said to Prothom Alo on Friday, that man is not infected with monkeypox. He has been released from the hospital after conducting tests.

According to World Health Organization’s information, the symptoms of monkeypox resemble smallpox symptoms in a milder way. Fever, headache, body-ache, fatigue, exhaustion, etc appear at first. The lymph gland might swell up.

Blisters starts appearing on the whole body within one to three days. The blisters starting from the face spread all over the body.

Like smallpox, reddish blisters appear at first. Then water forms inside these and then they dry up. This disease lasts for two to four weeks and then is cured by itself. In most cases, there are no major complications.