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Thiruvananthapuram, July 25
The condition of the three persons identified with monkeypox in Kerala and undergoing treatment remains stable as of Monday.
On Sunday, Delhi reported the country’s fourth case of monkepox, which has been declared a global emergency by the WHO.
While the fourth case, a 34-year-old man from West Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, does not have a history of international travel, sources in the Kerala Health Department said the three cases in Kerala had arrived from West Asia.
Heightened alert continues
According to the Kerala Heath Department close contacts, including family members and co-passengers of the three persons currently under treatment in Kerala, had not shown any symptoms.
The state remains in an enhanced alert, following the declaration of a global emergency. A surveillance action plan was mounted as soon as the first case was detected. All the districts have been directed to act immediately on any fever case with rashes, since this is the season for afflictions such as measles, chicken pox, hand, foot and mouth disease, dengue, and scrub typhus.
Lookout for ‘suspects’
Helpdesks have been set up at all airports in the state and health workers have been asked to look for ‘suspect cases’ in the community, especially if they have a history of travel to any of the countries reporting monkeypox, in the last 21 days.
The state had reported the country’s first case on July 14 in a Kollam native, who had arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport from the UAE. The second case was detected at Kannur four days later on July 18, again in a passenger from UAE. The third case, too, was identified in a traveller from the UAE, belonging to Malappuram district, who landed in Kannur on July 6. He developed a fever on July 13 and, in the next two days, rashes, following which he was isolated. He is undergoing treatment in isolation and close contacts are under surveillance.
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