India Reports First Monkeypox Case in Kerala; UAE Returnee Stable, Contacts Identified

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), July 14: Kerala has reported the first case of monkeypox in India, according to the state's health minister on Thursday.

A traveller from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who had just arrived in Kerala three days earlier was admitted to the hospital after exhibiting symptoms of monkeypox. Health Minister Veena George announced on Thursday that samples from the traveller have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes monkeypox as a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals), with symptoms like those once experienced by people with smallpox, though less severe clinically.

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Humans can contract monkeypox by coming into close contact with an animal or person who has the infection, as well as by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces. According to the WHO, the disease generally has a two- to four-week symptom duration and is self-limited. Monkeypox is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

Monkeypox has a clinical appearance similar to smallpox, an orthopoxvirus infection that was eradicated globally in 1980. It frequently manifests clinically as a fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes and can cause a variety of health issues.

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-PTC News