The health ministry said on Tuesday that there is no monkeypox patient in Bangladesh.

However, samples of a foreign citizen, who was kept in hospital isolation on suspicion of the contagious disease, were collected to test the case.

The statement came after a report on detection of a monkeypox-infected foreign citizen in Bangladesh was spreading on social media, online and electronic media.

“The report is not true,” the statement added.

Earlier in the day, a 32-year-old Turkish citizen was sent to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Mohakhali area as health officials identified monkeypox symptoms on him during passenger screening at Dhaka airport, hospital sources said.

After keeping the Turkish citizen in the isolation of the infectious disease hospital, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) collected samples from the person to test monkeypox.    However, the report was not available till the filing of this report in the evening.

Talking to news media, Dr Mijanur Rahman, superintendent of the Infectious Diseases Hospital, said they think the Turkish citizen who was kept in isolation on suspicion of the monkeypox has no symptom of the disease.

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 the countries having monekypox cases.

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