No monkeypox cases in TN so far, some spreading rumours: Health Minister

Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Sunday ruled out reports of monkeypox in the state and said rumours of positive cases were being spread by a section of media.

The Minister for Health and Family Welfare reiterated his earlier comments that the health department has intensified the screening procedures at 13 locations bordering Tamil Nadu with Kerala and also at the four international airports present in the state.

Speaking to reporters here, he said people who come by road in the 13 locations and at the airports are checked for rashes on their face or in their hands.

There was no positive report of monkeypox in Tamil Nadu as of now while two children from Canada and US, who had rashes on their faces, tested negative for the disease, Subramanian said.

There were rumours that a man who had come from Singapore to Tiruchirapalli by flight and three to four people in Nagercoil had contracted monkeypox.

However, the test carried out on them came out negative on Saturday night, the minister said. Rumours of positive cases were being spread by a section of media, he added.

There was no need for the administration to hide if there was any positive report, as the public would be on alert and take necessary preventive measures if monkeypox was reported in the state, he said.

"However, we can not rule out that the disease will not affect Tamil Nadu," the minister said.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting two to four weeks. The disease typically presents itself with fever, headache, rashes for up to three weeks, sore throat, cough and swollen lymph nodes.

Subramanian said he was in Coimbatore to review the status and steps taken regarding organ transplantation and the number of people waiting for such transplants, with the principals and deans of all Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals.

Since the organ transplantation process was almost standstill during the pandemic, Chief Minister M K Stalin wanted to speed up the process and the meeting is being held as part of this directive, he said.

A total of 13 donors had donated 50 organs from April 2021 and 114 donors had donated 479 organs from May 2021 to July 2022, after DMK came to power and 588 people were benefited due to organ transplantation in the last 14 months, he said.

There is also a long list of people waiting for organs -- 6,483 for kidney, 380 for liver, 43 heart, 42 lungs, 18 pancreas and 23 hands, Subramanian added.