Suspected monkeypox infection reported from Kerala’s Malappuram

According to officials, the patient arrived in Kerala a few days ago from abroad and after falling sick, was first admitted to a private hospital

Malappuram: A suspected case of monkeypox infection has been reported from Malappuram district of Kerala after a man who recently returned from abroad showed symptoms of the disease.

A district health official said that the patient arrived in Kerala a few days ago and, after falling sick, was first admitted to a private hospital.

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“From there he was admitted to the Manjeri Medical College. On suspecting that it might be a case of monkeypox, we sent his samples to the Kozhikode Medical College for testing. The results are awaited,” the official said.

A new case of monkeypox (Mpox) was reported last week from the national capital after a 26-year-old resident of Haryana’s Hisar tested positive for the virus and was admitted to Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital.

The Union Health Ministry had termed it an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards and said that it was not part of the current public health emergency reported by WHO which is regarding clade 1 of mpox, it underlined.

The 26-year-old Hisar native tested positive for mpox virus of the West African clade-2, it had said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) last month declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa.

Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and its patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management. It is transmitted through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient.

It typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. The suspected monkeypox case in Kerala has been reported in the wake of containment zones being established in the Malappuram district after the recent death of a 24-year-old due to Nipah infection.

The government on Sunday confirmed that the man who died on September 9, was infected with Nipah virus. A boy from Malappuram, who was undergoing treatment for Nipah infection, died on July 21. It was the first confirmed case of Nipah infection in the state this year.

Nipah outbreaks have been reported in Kozhikode district in 2018, 2021 and 2023 and in Ernakulam district in 2019. The presence of Nipah virus antibodies had been detected in bats in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts.