Kerala reported a second monkeypox (Mpox) case after a man who returned from abroad tested positive for the disease in Ernakulam on Friday.
This is the second case of Mpox in Kerala.
The man who reportedly returned from the UAE has been admitted to a private hospital in Kochi and is stable.
The contact list of the patient has been prepared, and preventive measures have been taken, reported PTI quoting state Health Minister Veena George.
The minister said that preventive measures have been taken, and a contact list of the patient has been prepared.
In a statement, George said that isolation facilities have been arranged in all the districts.
The health department has also urged people with symptoms to seek treatment.
On September 23, India reported the first case of the Mpox strain that led WHO to declare it a public health emergency, in a patient from Kerala.
The Clade 1b strain was detected in a 38-year-old man from Malappuram who had also returned from the United Arab Emirates.
Since the 2022 declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO, 30 cases have been reported in India.
On September 26, the Union Health Ministry released an advisory for all states and union territories on the Mpox disease. The ministry has instructed the states to assess public health preparedness at health facilities, with reviews to be conducted by senior officials at both the state and district levels.
The Ministry has listed out key public health actions are required to be undertaken to prevent and minimise the risk of further spread of Mpox in the country.
