India reports 1st monkeypox death
India on Monday confirmed its first monkeypox death in Kerala after test results returned of a 22-year-old infected man who died on Saturday , officials said.
Meanwhile, the Centre constituted a special task force to monitor monkeypox cases, assist in the expansion of diagnostic facilities, and explore the possibility of vaccine development or sourcing to control the infection, health ministry officials said.
The deceased, who hailed from Chavakkad Kuranjiyur in Thrissur district, the man tested positive in the United Arab Emirates on July 2, officials said. The Kerala government has initiated a high-level inquiry into the death of the youth, state health minister Veena George said.
“The result of the test conducted in the foreign country was positive. He sought treatment in Thrissur due to severe fatigue and encephalitis and Monkeypox is not a fatal disease,” said George.
Following the death, at least 20 people were quarantined in Thrissur, officials said, adding that the deceased had come in contact with “only 10 people”, including family members and friends. “The situation is well under control, there’s no panic here as of now. The person had direct contact with only 10 people including family members and a few friends. 20 people quarantined so far,” said Renjini, Member, Education and Health standing committee.
The Union health ministry officials said NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul will head the central task force.
India has so far reported three monkeypox cases—including the latest fatality—two from Kerala and one from New Delhi.
The Union health ministry has constituted a special task force to monitor monkeypox cases, assist in the expansion of diagnostic facilities, and explore the possibility of vaccine development or sourcing to control the infection, officials said on Monday.
NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul will head the task force and its members will include officials from the ministry and representatives of the country’s major medical and research institutes.
The officials said the decision to form the centralised task force was taken at a meeting of the ministry’s senior functionaries.
“The task force has been formed and this will help in the better management of monkeypox infections in the country. The task force will also coordinate cases from states and provide any expertise that the states need,” said a health ministry official, who did not want to be named.
India has so far reported three monkeypox cases from Kerala and one from Delhi. The cases exclude that of a 22-year-old man, who died in Kerala’s Thrissur on Saturday.
The man tested positive for monkeypox in the UAE before he returned to the state on July 22.
Kerala health minister Veena George said on Sunday that they are yet to receive his test results from Pune. She added an inquiry will be conducted into how he “exited the airport and suppressed his medical details”.
The state government will confirm the infection only after getting swab results from the National Institute of Virology, the minister said.
Relatives of the deceased disclosed the medical report from the UAE only after his death on Saturday, George said. He returned to India on July 22 and was admitted to a private hospital five days later after he developed high fever, she added.
“We will inquire how he came out of the airport and suppressed his health details like this,” she said. “We have prepared a detailed route map of the deceased and many people were already been quarantined.”
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, or a virus transmitted to humans from animals, with symptoms similar to those in smallpox patients. The World Health Organisation has said it is clinically less severe than smallpox and declared monkeypox a “public health emergency of international concern”.
Over 20,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 75 countries globally.