Kerala reports India’s first case of monkeypox; Centre rushes medical team

India’s first case of monkeypox has been reported from Kerala’s Kollam.

The 35-year-old man, who recently arrived from UAE, is currently isolated at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

Centre rushes High Level multi-disciplinary team to Kerala for supporting the State in public health interventions and investigating for #Monkeypox outbreak. @MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/gf5mWYky3c

— Prasar Bharati News Services पी.बी.एन.एस. (@PBNS_India) July 14, 2022

The Kollam-native’s samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing. The results came positive for monkeypox on Thursday (July 14).

Also Read: What is monkeypox? Know symptoms, causes, prevention

“All primary contacts have been identified and notified. We have taken strict care to contain the viral infection to this one case,” said Health Minister Veena George.

The patient’s friend was declared positive in the UAE, where several cases of monkeypox have been reported so far, the minister said.

The Centre has rushed a high-level team to Kerala to take stock of the situation.