Nigerian is Delhi's 8th Monkeypox patient

The woman, who is currently undergoing treatment at the city’s Lok Nayak Hospital, is India’s 13th case of the viral infection.

New Delhi: A 30-year-old Nigerian woman living in Delhi has tested positive for monkeypox, making her the city’s eighth and the country’s 13th case of the viral infection, according to people familiar with the matter.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals), with symptoms similar to those in smallpox patients, though the disease is clinically less severe than smallpox. (HT Photo)

The woman is currently undergoing treatment at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital, the nodal centre for managing monkeypox cases in the city. Officials did not clarify whether she has any travel history.

Another person suspected to be suffering from the viral disease has also been admitted to the Delhi government-run hospital. The suspected case, also a Nigerian woman, was admitted on September 14.

“All the patients are stable,” said officials aware of the matter, requesting anonymity.

In Delhi, the first case of monkeypox was reported on July 24. All those who earlier tested positive for the disease have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital, officials said.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals), with symptoms similar to those in smallpox patients, though the disease is clinically less severe than smallpox. The World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency on July 23. The infection, unlike Covid-19, is not easily airborne and transmits through direct contact with bodily fluids or the lesions of the infected person. It can also be spread through indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linen.

As most of the Delhi cases do not have a travel history, experts studying the disease believe there could be a possibility of more cases within the community. “These monkeypox cases suggests the under diagnosed monkeypox infection in the community. This emphasizes the need for active surveillance of MPXV in high risk population such as men having sex with men (MSM) and female sex workers (FSW),” they said in a paper that was recently uploaded on Research Square, which is a free public preprint repository.

Dr Pragya Yadav, a senior scientist with ICMR-National Institute of Virology (Pune) and one of the authors of the study, said, “Some recent studies have shown just a single lesion in genital areas which is not easy to identify or sampling. The clinical presentation of VZV and other diseases, lack of awareness also creates confusion and cases can be missed.”