The Health Ministry on Tuesday said no one has been infected with the monkeypox virus in Bangladesh yet.

A press release issued by the ministry said that reports on the detection of a monkeypox-infected foreign national in Bangladesh circulating on social and electronic media were not true, UNB reported.

“No monkeypox case has been detected yet in the country. If any such case is found in future, people will be informed through a press release,” it said.

Earlier in the day, a Turkish citizen, who showed suspected symptoms of monkeypox, was sent to hospital after arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, authorities said.

The man was first taken to the Airport Health Centre and then to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali, said Dr Shahrier Sazzad, chief of the health centre.

The traveller arrived on a Turkish Airlines flight at noon. The airport health authorities detected symptoms of monkeypox in him during screening, said Dr Sazzad.

An official of Turkish Airlines said that the signs on the passenger's body had initially been identified by Turkish authorities as "ringworm”, which is known as a common fungal skin infection.

"Symptoms of ringworm have been found on the passenger's knees, wrists, fingers and scalp," the official added.

On May 22, the government instructed the authorities concerned to strengthen surveillance at land, air and sea ports for screening travellers coming to Bangladesh from countries with confirmed monkeypox cases.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) issued a notice in this regard.

According to the notice, monkeypox is not a new disease. It was found among people in West and Middle African countries in the past. Recently it has been detected among people living in European and American countries with no history of travelling to African countries.

People who contracted the virus or came close to infected people should be listed as suspected patients of monkeypox, it said.

Suspected patients or patients having symptoms should be taken to government hospitals or the Infectious Diseases Hospital and kept in isolation and cases should be reported to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).