A day after the first case was recorded, the Centre issued a fresh set of guidelines to tackle Monkeypox in India.
Thiruvananthapuram: India’s first case of monkeypox was reported in Kerala who reached the capital of the state three days back from the UAE. While a team from the Centre has been rushed to Kerala, people who came in contact with the 35-year-old man were warned.
The team from the Centre comprises experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr RML Hospital, New Delhi and senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with experts from the Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare of Kerala.
State health minister Veena George had on Thursday informed the media about a suspected case but later confirmed when Pune’s National Institute of Virology confirmed the case.
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The man hails from the Kollam district. He returned from the UAE on July 12. “All those who came in contact with the man have been isolated and they are being closely observed,” George said.
In a statement later, the Union health ministry said it “is taking proactive steps by monitoring the situation carefully and coordinating with states in case of any such possibility of outbreak occurs.”
It added international passengers should “avoid contact with sick people”. In a set of guidelines, the Centre said people should avoid contact with dead or live wild animals, including rodents (rats, squirrels) and non-human primates (monkeys, apes).
Eating or preparing meat from wild games (bushmeat) or using products derived from wild animals from Africa (creams, lotions, powders) should be avoided, said the Centre. Contact with contaminated material used by sick people such as clothing, bedding or materials used in healthcare settings or that came into contact with infected animals, said the Centre.
