New Delhi: Delhi reported the first case of Monkeypox virus in a 31-years-old man with no travel history on Sunday.
With this, India registered the fourth case of the viral disease. The patient is admitted to Maulana Azad Medical College. According to reports, the patient was admitted with fever and skin lesions. The condition of the patient is stable.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took note of the situation and assured Delhiites to not panic. In a tweet, he added that “The first case of Monkeypox was detected in Delhi. The patient is stable and recovering. There’s no need to panic. The situation is under control. We have made a separate isolation ward at LNJP.”
The Ministry of Health and Welfare took cognizance of the matter and added that a confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by the National Institute of Virology. It further added that public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitization of private practitioners, etc are being carried out.
Centre plans on holding a high-level review meeting to take account of the situation related to Monkeypox spread in the country.
The cases that were found earlier were among nationals returning home from the Middle East. The first case was recorded on 14th July after a traveller returned from UAE to Kerala. He was later admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared Monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern keeping in view the outbreak of the virus in more than 70 countries.
According to WHO, the virus is a viral zoonotic infection that spreads mostly from human contact.
According to reports, more than 16,000 cases have been confirmed across 75 countries including four from India.
The virus is transmitted by direct or indirect contact with infected animals. Human-to-Human transmission can occur through direct contact with the infectious skin or lesions. In the current outbreak countries and amongst the reported Monkeypox cases, transmission appears to be occurring primarily through close physical contact, including sexual contact.
(With Agency Inputs)