India’s first Monkeypox case reported from Kerala

A person who returned to Kerala from abroad and was hospitalised after showing signs of monkeypox tested positive for the disease, state Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday.

It is the first reported case of the virus in India.

Earlier in the day, the minister told reporters that his samples of the symptomatic person have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing. George said that the person showed symptoms of monkeypox and he was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad. In the evening, she confirmed that he tested positive for the virus.

“One case of monkeypox has been confirmed. We are taking steps to ensure it does not spread to others. But he (patient) has 2-3 close contacts which include his parents. “There are 11 primary contacts which include his parents, those who sat next to him in the plane, the taxi driver who took him from Thiruvananthapuram to Kollam, the auto driver who took him to the hospital and the cabin crew of the flight. We are informing all of them,” the minister told media.