Monkeypox cases: The second monkeypox case in India has been detected in Kerala's Kannur, said state health department officials on Monday. This is the second case of monkeypox in the state as well as the country.
State health minister Veena George said the patient, who arrived in Kerala on July 13, was a native of Kannur and was undergoing treatment at the Pariyaram Medical College there. His health condition is stable, she added. The minister also said that all those who were in close contact with the patient are being closely monitored.
First patient was a traveller from abroad
Kerala reported India's first case of the virus on Thursday. A person who returned from abroad has been admitted to a hospital in Kerala after he showed symptoms of monkeypox.
The patient's primary contacts have been identified - his father, mother, taxi driver, auto driver, and 11 passengers of the same flight who were in adjacent seats, George said. "There is nothing to worry about or to be anxious about. All the steps are being taken and the patient is stable."
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 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.
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