Guwahati: A person from Kerala who had tested positive for monkeypox in another nation passed away in Thrissur on Saturday.
This is the fourth death from monkeypox outside of Africa and the first from the disease in India. According to reports, the youth had arrived in Kerala from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on July 22.
According to Kerala’s health minister Veena George, an investigation into the youth’s death would be conducted because he tested positive for the virus in the UAE but authorities were not promptly made aware of this.
India has thus far documented four instances of monkeypox. The first three of these cases—those with travel histories—were reported in Kerala, whereas the fourth case was discovered in Delhi without any prior travel information.
The centre has formed a task force in the wake of monkeypox cases in India to monitor and provide guidance to the government on the expansion of diagnostic facilities and to explore vaccination for the infection in the country.
The choice was made on Saturday after a meeting that included the Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, Additional Secretary (PMO) and other senior officials.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a virus that can infect humans when it infects animals. Its symptoms are comparable to those of smallpox; however, they are milder. On July 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated monkeypox as a pandemic-level public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).