India confirms first Monkeypox case, centre rushes high-level team to Kerala

India on Thursday confirmed its first Monkeypox case from Kerala as a UAE returning man from the State was confirmed to have been infected with the virus. 

Meanwhile, the Central government has rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to the southern state.

According to Kerala state authorities, the Monkeypox infection in the man was confirmed through the testing of the samples of the symptomatic person at the National Institute of Virology.

All those who had come in contact with the man have been isolated and kept under high observation.

The Union Health Ministry released a statement saying that it is taking proactive steps by monitoring the situation carefully and coordinating with states in case of any such possibility of outbreak occurs.

Notably, over 9000 cases of Monkeypox virus have been detected from more than 60 countries around the world. Of the total, about 1,000 cases have been reported from the US alone

According to health experts, most monkeypox patients have reported experiencing fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious infection have been found reporting rash to lesions on the face and hands that may spread to other parts of body.

As per the WHO, monkeypox symptoms have been reportedly lasting from 2 to 4 weeks while its case fatality ratio has been around 3–6% per cent.