A 31-year-old man who arrived in Kerala last week from Dubai has tested positive for monkeypox, state Health Minister Veena George said on Monday.
This is the second case of monkeypox in the state as well as the country.
The minister said the patient, who arrived in Kerala on July 13, was a native of Kannur and was undergoing treatment at the Pariyaram Medical College there.
His health condition is stable, she added.
The minister also said that all those who were in close contact with the patient are being closely monitored.
After the Wuhan virus, also known as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) the monkeypox disease is also likely to spread in India and needed precaution.
Monkeypox infection, which outbroke in 2022, is spreading rapidly across the world. Approximately 23 countries, including India, are affected by the sudden spread of this disease.
On the 30th of May, Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed monkeypox virus’ spread to 23 nonendemic countries with over 257 cases and around 120 suspected cases.
Although experts suggested that the infection would not turn into another pandemic, there are many unknown facts about the disease, including how exactly it’s spreading and its transmission. A health expert Dr. Rosamund Lewis said, “It’s very important to describe this because it appears to be an increase in a mode of transmission that may have been under-recognized in the past.”
The first human case of monkeypox, a simulation of smallpox was reported in 1970.
Common Symptoms of Monkeypox:
- Headache
- Acute onset of fever (>38.5oC),
- Lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes)
- Myalgia (muscle and body aches)
- Back pain
- Asthenia (profound weakness)
