India reports second confirmed case of Monkeypox from Kannur district in Kerala
Kerala, July 18
: Kerala on Monday confirmed the second case of monkeypox from Kannur district.
The new case is reported from 31-year old man from Kannur who is currently undergoing treatment at Pariyaram Medical College.
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The patient's health condition is reported to be satisfactory. Those in close contact with him have been put under surveillance," says Kerala Health Minister Veena George.
The multidisciplinary central team of officials has been already deployed by the Union Health Ministry.
Those in close contact with him have been put under surveillance, the minister added.
Official sources also stated that, “No need to panic as Centre has given fresh directions to all the states and Union Territories regarding Monkeypox. It spreads through close contact with lesions, body fluids, prolonged contact with Respiratory Droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.”
Meanwhile, Kerala has reported the first case of monkeypox on July 14.
The case has been suspected from a traveller from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who had 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.
Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan cited the letter sent by the ministry on May 31 in which it had issued a comprehensive 'Guidelines for Management of Monkeypox Disease'. As of now, there is no reported case of Monkeypox has been reported in India.
The health secretary asked all the states and union territories to take key actions like orientation and regular re-orientation of all key stakeholders including health screening teams at points of entries (PoEs), disease surveillance teams, doctors working in hospitals about common signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, case definitions for suspect/probable/confirmed cases and contacts, contact tracing and other surveillance activities that need to be undertaken following detection of a case, testing, IPC protocols, clinical management etc.
Meanwhile, the hospitals must be identified and adequate human resource and logistic support should be ensured at identified hospitals equipped to manage suspect/confirmed cases of Monkeypox.
Monkeypox is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
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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.
-PTC News
