A total of five cases of monkeypox have been detected in Kerala till now, as one more person was found infected with the disease, state health minister Veena Gorge said on Tuesday.
“The 30-year-old patient is undergoing treatment in Malappuram. He had reached Kozhikode on July 27 from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), George said, according to news agency.
The minister further informed that the patient is in a stable condition, adding that all his close contacts, including parents, are being closely monitored.
The information comes a day after the southern state reported what could possibly be India’s first fatality due to monkeypox; the samples of a 22-year-old man, a UAE returnee who died on July 30, returned positive test results.
Thus far, a total of seven monkeypox patients have been confirmed in the country – five in Kerala and the remaining two in Delhi. Suspected patients have also been detected in many states and, in most of the cases, turned out negative for monkeypox.
India’s first case of the viral disease was also reported from Kerala, from the state’s Kollam district.