Suspected monkeypox case found in Kerala; samples sent for testing

Thiruvananthapuram, July 14

A man who returned from abroad has been admitted to a hospital in Kerala after he showed symptoms of monkeypox, state Health Minister Veena George said here on Thursday.

The minister said his samples had been sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing.

She said the disease could be confirmed only after getting the results.

Without giving details, George said the man showed symptoms of monkeypox and was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad.

According to the World Health Organisation, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health.