Second Monkeypox case reported in India, Centre steps up vigil
The directive came hours after a man from Kannur in Kerala, who returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on July 14, tested positive for monkeypox, making it the second case in the country.
The Union health ministry on Monday ordered strict screening of all international passengers arriving at airports and ports to minimise the threat of importation of monkeypox, after the country reported its second case of the virus infection.
The directive came hours after a man from Kannur in Kerala, who returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on July 14, tested positive for monkeypox, making it the second case in the country. On July 14, a man from the state’s Kollam district, who also returned from the UAE, had tested positive for the infection.
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Taking note of the latest case, the Union health ministry held a meeting to review safety measures and advised states to ensure strict screening to “minimise risk of importation of monkeypox disease,” the ministry said in a statement.
The meeting was attended by airport and port health officers, and regional directors from regional offices of the ministry.
“They were advised and re-oriented in the clinical presentation of monkeypox disease as per MoHFW’s ‘Guidelines for Management of Monkeypox Disease’. They were also advised to coordinate with other stakeholder agencies like Immigration at international ports and airports to streamline health screening processes besides ensuring suitable linkages with hospital facilities earmarked to each port of entry for timely referral and isolation,” the statement read.
Kerala, meanwhile, was put on high alert following the detection of a second monkeypox case. State health minister Veena George said the victim is undergoing treatment at a government medical college hospital in Pariyaram and his condition is stable.
The man had arrived from the UAE on July 14 and was admitted to an isolation ward of the medical college hospital after he exhibited symptoms of the disease, George said.
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“His symptoms were similar to monkey pox and our tests also confirmed it. Still, we sent the samples to the National Virology Institute in Pune to cross check it. He told officials that some people where he stayed in the UAE were infected with the disease,” she said, adding that all his contacts were identified and sent to quarantine.
The Union government on July 14 had deputed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to the southern state, after the first case was reported.
“The team is still on ground assessing the situation,” a senior official in the health ministry said, requesting anonymity.
“All contacts have been tracked and are being closely monitored. So far, there is no major cause for concern but a close watch is being kept,” a second official said.
