New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: India reported its sixth monkeypox case Monday – a Nigerian man living in Delhi with no recent foreign travel history. Meanwhile the Centre formed a task force to monitor the emerging situation due to monkeypox.
The Kerala government, meanwhile, confirmed that samples of a 22-year-old man, who died July 30, tested positive, making him India’s first monkeypox-related fatality. His 20 contacts including family members, friends, a helper and others who played football with him are in the high-risk category and are under ‘self-observation’.
Rajasthan also reported its first suspected case of the disease Monday with with a 20-year-old man being admitted to a government hospital with a fever for the past four days and rashes on body.
In the national capital, official sources said the 35-year-old Nigerian man who tested positive – becoming the city’s second and the country’s sixth case – is admitted to the Delhi government’s LNJP Hospital, the nodal facility for treatment of the infection. He has blisters and a fever for the last five days.
The man’s samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. The report which arrived Monday evening showed he was positive, an official source said.
Two suspected patients of monkeypox, who are of African origin, have also been admitted to the LNJP Hospital, sources informed.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram the samples of the 22-year-old man who died on July 30 were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and they returned positive for a West African variant of monkeypox. Vijayan said the man, who reached the state July 22, had earlier tested positive for monkeypox July 19 in the UAE.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai of neighbouring Karnataka called an ‘important meeting’ of the Health Minister and department officials Tuesday regarding control measures and treatment facility to be put in place.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries.
According to WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis – a virus transmitted to humans from animals – with symptoms similar to small pox although clinically less severe.
Official sources said in Delhi the task force will also provide guidance to the government on expansion of diagnostic facilities and explore emerging vaccination trends.
The decision to constitute the task force was taken at a high-level meeting held July 26 at the level of the principal secretary to the prime minister to review the ongoing public health preparedness in the country. The task force will be headed by Dr VK Paul, NITI Aayog member (health).