Kerala on Monday confirmed the second case of monkeypox. The new case, a 31-year-old man, reached Kannur from Dubai on July 13.
Health minister Veena George said the condition of the infected person, now admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Kannur, was stable. All his primary contacts are under observation, said the minister.
It was on July 14 that Kerala reported India’s first monkeypox case, after a 35-year-old man who returned from UAE had been diagnosed with the infection. The Centre sent a multi-disciplinary team to Kerala to collaborate with state authorities in implementing public health measures. The government has sounded an alert in all 14 districts and help desks have been launched in all the four airports.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity. According to the World Health Organization, it is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting from two-four weeks. In recent times, officials said, the case fatality ratio has been around three-six per cent.
The virus is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, and spreads from lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding. Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle ache and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and rashes that can look like pimples or blisters on the face, inside the mouth and other parts of the body.
Most monkeypox cases are reported from the European region (86 per cent) and the Americas (11 per cent). The disease is endemic to west and central African countries such as Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The US also witnessed an outbreak in 2003, when 47 confirmed or probable cases were reported.
