Monkeypox: Kerala issues statewide alert after India's first case
Kerala government issued a state-wide alert for co-passengers of India's first monkeypox case on Friday. This comes a day after a 35-year-old UAE return was diagnosed with monkeypox. It advised all passengers of the flight from Sharjah to Thiruvananthapuram to look out for symptoms. People from five Kerala districts,Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Alappuzha, traveled with the patient.
Kerala government issues alerts to all districts
The state government issued a special alert to 14 districts. All 164 passengers and six cabin crew members of the Indigo flight have been asked to watch out for symptoms for the next 21 days. They have been directed to contact the local health workers. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the police will be tracking down all passengers.
No ground for panic: George
"A special alert has been issued in 5 districts. Health workers will be in touch to get updates about symptoms. If needed, the co-passengers will be tested for monkeypox. Isolation units will be prepared, but there is no ground for panic," said George.
Monkeypox patient stable, Centre sends team to Kerala
The 35-year-old patient from Kollam is stable and has been isolated at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram. George said that 11 contacts have been put in the 'high-risk' category. He is believed to have come in contact with another monkeypox patient in the United Arab Emirates. On Thursday, the Centre rushed a high-level team to Kerala and advised all states to increase surveillance.
What is monkeypox and what are its symptoms?
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease with low clinical severity and symptoms similar to smallpox. A patient usually suffers from fever, headache, muscle ache, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes. The incubation time for monkeypox symptoms ranges from 7-14 days, but can also extend to 21 days. Over 6,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported globally, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).
