India News | Suspected Monkeypox Case Found in Kerala, Samples Sent for Testing

Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 14 (PTI) A person who returned from abroad has been admitted to a hospital in Kerala after he showed symptoms of monkeypox, state Health Minister Veena George said here on Thursday.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Horror: Woman in Lucknow Burns 6-Year-Old Adopted Daughter With Hot Oil.

The minister said his samples have been collected and sent to the National Institute of Virology for testing.

Also Read | India Reports 20,139 New COVID-19 Cases, 38 Deaths in Past 24 Hours.

She said the disease could be confirmed only after getting the test results.

Without revealing more details, George said the person showed symptoms of monkeypox and he was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)