On Thursday, India reported its first incidence of monkeypox, with a Keralite returning from the UAE testing positive for the virus, prompting the Centre to dispatch a high-level multi-disciplinary team to assist with state health authorities in establishing public health measures.
The case was confirmed through testing of the symptomatic person’s samples at the National Institute of Virology in Pune, according to Health Minister Veena George..
As part of India’s readiness against the disease, the country’s first case of the virus was reported on the same day that the Centre instructed states to guarantee screening and testing of all suspect cases at points of entry and in the community. She claimed that all samples from the afflicted people proved positive, confirming the country’s first occurrence of the unusual virus. The minister stated that all precautions have been taken to avoid the spread of the disease, and that there is no cause for fear.
In a statement, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that there is now no cause for fear and that, much as the spread of covid-19 has been controlled, monkeypox can also be controlled. Vijayan went on to say that the patient was isolated after exhibiting symptoms of the condition, and that individuals who came into contact with him are being constantly monitored. The individual, from Kollam district, came at the airport here on July 12 from the UAE, and all of his intimate contacts have been identified, according to the ministry.
According to a Health Ministry source, he was in close contact with five people, including his relatives, a taxi driver, and an auto driver.
Aside from them, he had 13 primary contacts on the aircraft, according to the source.
According to the minister, the flight’s cabin crew has also been told about the situation. She stated that the man had visited a private hospital in Kollam after arriving at his residence. He was referred to the Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where physicians feared he was suffering from monkeypox.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is sending a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Kerala to work with the State Health Authorities to implement public health measures in response to a confirmed case of monkeypox in the Kollam district, according to a press release from the Press Information Bureau.
