First monkeypox case triggers State-wide alert in Kerala

All districts in Kerala have been put on an alert in the light of an international traveller arriving here on Tuesday being identified as the country’s first case of monkeypox. A heightened alert will apply to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam based on hometowns of known co-passengers seated in proximity.

Giving details, a spokesman of the State Health Department said the 35-year-old patient had arrived by a Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram IndiGo flight (6E 1402, seat number 30 C) that left Sharjah at 5 pm local time. The flight carried 164 passengers and six cabin crew onboard. Of these, 11 passengers seated around the patient in close proximity have been put on the high-risk list. If anyone develops any known symptoms, it should be immediately conveyed to health workers.

Police help sought

Since phone numbers of all of them are not available, the Health Department has sought the assistance of the police to track them down. Officials who handled emigration clearance and staff who handled baggage have also been directed to keep a watch of health, the spokesman said. State Health Minister Veena George said health workers will speak to the high-risk co-passengers on phone every morning and evening to know about their well-being. They will be asked to undergo tests, including for diagnosis of Covid-19, in the event of their developing fever or other symptoms. Isolation wards will be set up in every district and special arrangements made at the government medical colleges, the minister added, after chairing a high-level meeting here on Friday.

Patient remains stable

International passengers arriving in the state have been requested to be aware of the developing situation and keep a vigil. Meanwhile, the condition of the monkeypox patient is stable, though he has been showing signs of anxiety. A native of neighbouring Kollam district, he is currently undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital here.

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Close contacts alerted

Apart from the 11 high-risk co-passengers, close contacts, including his parents, have already been isolated at the Medical College Hospital. Others who have been alerted include the driver who took the person from the airport to his home at Kollam and driver of the autorickshaw he hired for travelling initially to the private hospital in Kollam and the healthcare personnel there who attended on him.

Volunteers information

The patient had first consulted the private hospital after developing fever and other symptoms. He had informed that a close contact of his in the UAE had been confirmed as having contracted monkeypox. He had also worn a face mask onboard and an attire that fully covered the body. The private hospital in turn referred the case to the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The minister said the disease spreads from person to person only through close contact and that there was no need for panic.

Mask, PPE mandates in place

The monkeypox case has broken out when a resurgent Covid-19 virus brought back the mask mandate and PPE kits wherever warranted in Kerala, effectively minimising the chance for any further spread of the disease, the Minister said.

The Kerala Health Department has taken all precautions to ensure that the infection does not spread outside the circle of close contacts. All districts are already on alert and have been directed to enhance disease surveillance and to look out for any fever with unusual symptoms.

Disease symptoms

Monkeypox initially presents like any tropical disease with fever, headache, joint ache, and possible swelling of the lymph glands. The incubation period — the time from exposure to the virus to the manifestation of symptoms—ranges from five to 21 days.

Rashes appear on the face, inside palms, and the body 1-4 days after fever. The course of the disease could last from two-four weeks, during which time the rashes progress into pustules, vesicular lesions, and scabs.

With almost all districts currently reporting outbreaks of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children, it is very likely that fever with rashes could be mistaken for monkeypox. The Minister said the Health Department has issued guidelines based on the norms issued by the WHO and the Union Health Ministry.

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