Kerala Man Who Tested Positive For Monkeypox Dies In Thrissur, Govt Initiates High-Level Inquiry

Kerala reports India's first monkeypox-related death after a 22-year-old Gulf returnee was revealed to have tested positive for monkeypox after his death. The Hindu reported that the deceased had travelled back home to Thrissur from UAE on July 21 and was admitted to a private hospital on July 27. The hospital authorities admitted him for acute fatigue and meningitis and confirmed that there were no visible symptoms such as rashes, commonly seen among those affected by monkeypox.

Aftermath Of The First Reported Case

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the authorities were aware of the monkeypox case only after the youth's death. He had reportedly tested positive for monkeypox on July 19 in UAE, after which he travelled back to the state. He was admitted several days later after having developed a fever.

Currently, Health has issued an inquiry to look further into the death. It is believed that there might be more underlying causes responsible for the death as it is rather unusual that a virus has caused death with a fatality rate of three to six per cent. The Health now awaits a detailed test result from the National Institute of Virology in Alappuzha.

Meanwhile, a high-level team has been assigned the duty of investigations and route mapping to alert close contacts of the youth. Preventive measures have been intensified around the locality of Kuranjiyur, where the 22-year-old resided. Health has advised those who travelled with him from UAE, the airport taxi driver, relatives, and other close contacts of the person to go into quarantine. The situation is being closely monitored, and further details will be made public soon.

Health Team On High Alert

So far, India has reported five confirmed cases of monkeypox infections - four from Kerala and one from Delhi. Among these, the four cases reported from Kerala have had international travel history, and one has passed away. This marks the fourth monkeypox-related death happening outside Africa, where the virus is endemic.

After the disease was detected in the UK and spread out to 79 countries, the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency. Transmission rates were rather low, but strict surveillance was ensured in many parts of the world.

The Union Government had begun necessary surveillance in early May but was confined to the detection of visible symptoms. Even though experts have suggested vaccinating the close contacts of confirmed cases, the government has not announced any such move so far. People have been advised to remain vigilant and attend to any form of unexplained rashes or fevers that may occur to them.

Also Read: Monkeypox: Centre Issues Fresh Guidelines; Includes Three-Layered Mask, 21-Day Isolation