India reported its second case of monkeypox on Monday, just five days after it detected the first infection. Kerala health minister Veena George said that the second positive case has been confirmed in Kannur district. Officials said that a 31-year-old Kannur native was infected and is under treatment at Pariyaram medical college. He had returned from Dubai on July 13.
The cases prompted the Centre to issue an order asking officials to strictly screen all international arrivals at ports and airports. Earlier, the central government had rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to collaborate with the Kerala Health Authorities in instituting public health measures. The first case was confirmed through the testing of the samples of the symptomatic person at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, George had said.
Monkeypox, a disease that that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus. Fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, are among the other symptoms that the disease causes.
The ailment, which has over the years been reported in African regions, caused alarm when increased infections were seen in many European nations as well. The World Health Organisation has billed the threat from the disease as moderate but it remains to be seen whether this could evolve into something more dangerous as the spread increases across the globe.
According an update by the WHO, 42 countries (excluding India in their list) have reported cases of Monkeypox from January, 2022 to June 15, 2022. The list by WHO documents over 2,000 infections:
Meanwhile, India’s first case of the virus was reported on a day when the Centre asked states to ensure screening and testing of all suspect cases at points of entry and in the community as part of India’s preparedness against the disease.
All samples of the infected persons have been tested positive, the Kerala Health Minister said, confirming the country’s first case of the rare virus. All measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the disease, the minister said, adding there was no cause for concern.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in a statement, too said there was no cause for concern presently and said just like the spread of covid-19 was checked, monkeypox can also be contained. Vijayan added the patient was kept in isolation after he began showing signs of the disease and those who were in contact with him are being closely observed.
The man, hailing from Kollam district, arrived at the airport here from the UAE on July 12 and all his close contacts have been identified, the minister said.
With inputs from agencies
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