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35 people who came in contact with monkeypox patient isolated: Official
The Kerala government has informed the district administration that one of the patients had entered India through Mangaluru airport.
Dakshina Kannada district administration on Tuesday ordered 35 people, including passengers and Mangaluru airport staff, who had come in contact with a monkeypox patient from Kerala, to remain in isolation.
The Kerala government has informed the district administration that one of the patients had entered India through Mangaluru airport.
The 31-year-old man had arrived at Mangaluru airport from Dubai on July 13. After landing in Mangaluru, he left for Kerala and later underwent tests at Periyaram Medical college in Kerala’s Kannur. The blood samples of the man have been sent by doctors to Pune Virology Centre where he was found to be positive for monkeypox.
The 31-year-old man is the second patient to be infected with monkeypox in the country.
District surveillance officer Dr Jagadeesh K said: “We have collected the contact details of 34 passengers who were sitting in the three rows front and back, close to the infected passenger, and all of them have been home isolated. Nobody has shown any symptoms of monkeypox as of now,” he said.
He said there were 191 passengers in the flight in which the man had arrived. Of them, 15 passengers were from Dakshina Kannada, six from Udupi district and 13 from Kasaragod, besides the passenger from Kerala’s Kannur.
“Nine from Dakshina Kannada have been isolated and two have given wrong addresses, so we are taking the police’s help in this regard. We will track them soon,” he added.
Apart from them, an immigration department officer in the Mangaluru airport was directed by the district health department to remain in isolation.
Dr Rajesh BV, the district health officer, said the isolated people will be monitored on a daily basis, and they will be shifted to the isolation ward in District Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru if they show any symptoms of the disease.
About a month ago, a 10-bed monkeypox isolation ward was opened at Wenlock Hospital.
Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner KV Rajendra directed crew members of airlines to identify passengers in each flight who have symptoms like fever and swollen lymph nodes before landing at Mangaluru International Airport.
“Crew members of airlines should identify passengers with symptoms prior to the landing of each flight. Passengers with symptoms should be segregated and should be allowed to meet the health officer. Suspected cases should be sent to the monkeypox isolation ward reserved at the Wenlock District Hospital in an ambulance immediately,” Rajendra said.
The country’s first case of monkeypox was detected in Kerala’s Kollam district on July 14. He is undergoing treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram medical college and hospital.
