Bengaluru, Aug 4 (IANS): Samples of a 9-year-old boy from Tibet, suspected of having monkeypox, have been sent to the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) of Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) here for examination.

According to sources, the kid arrived India with his parents and a Tibetan priest to New Delhi on July 1. He also visited Tibetan camps in Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. The sample of the kid, the third suspected case of monkeypox in Karnataka, has been sent from Hubballi city.

The boy had returned from Belgium and showed skin rashes and other symptoms of monkeypox. The boy had also visited Mundgod Tibetan camp in Uttara Kannada district, sources in the health department stated. However, they said it could be a case of chickenpox. "The boy had reached India on July 1 and the incubation period of monkeypox is not that long and the symptoms could have manifested earlier."

The first and second suspected cases of monkeypox in Karnataka have tested negative.

Earlier, Health Minister K. Sudhakar said that there is no need to panic about monkeypox, adding that the government is taking all precautionary measures including thermal screening at airports and strict surveillance in districts bordering Kerala.