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India sees 1st monkeypox case: What govt advises on international travel
India recorded its first monkeypox case from Kerala - a man from Kollam district.
India registered its first case of monkeypox on Thursday after a man - who returned from the UAE earlier this week - tested positive for the virus in Kerala. The global tally, meanwhile, has passed 9,000 with cases being reported from over 60 countries.
After waging a tough battle against Covid for two years, the United States is now fighting the monkeypox virus. More than 1,000 cases have been logged so far by the country. The virus was so far restricted to African nations before patients were registered from various countries.
Meanwhile, here’s what the government advisory says on international travel:
Travelers taking international flights have been urged to avoid:
1) Contact with sick people, including those with skin lesions or genital lesions.
2) They have also been told to avoid contact “with dead or live wild animals such as small mammals including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes)”.
3) “Eating or preparing meat from wild game (bushmeat) or using products derived from wild animals from Africa (creams, lotions, powders),” should also be avoided says the advisory.
4) They should also avoid contact with contaminated materials used by sick people (such as clothing, bedding, or materials used in healthcare settings) or that came into contact with infected animals”.
A passenger has also been requested to contact the nearest facility if s/he "were in an area where monkeypox has been reported" or they had a "contact with a person that might have had monkeypox".
On Thursday, the government asked the states and union territories to screen and test suspect cases at points of entries and in community. Patient isolation, intensive risk communication directed at health workers, adequate human resource and logistical support were among the instructions issued by the health ministry.
