Thiruvananthapuram:

Two cases of Monkeypox (Mpox) have been reported in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George said on Wednesday.

Two men, who recently returned to Kerala from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), tested positive for the disease, the minister said.

One of the men, a resident of Wayanad district, was initially found to be infected, while the second individual, from Kannur, tested positive later, according to her statement.

Both patients are currently undergoing treatment at Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur. Their contact tracing details and movement history will be published soon, the statement added.

In response to the cases, the Health Department has instructed those who came into contact with the patients to monitor themselves for symptoms and report any signs of illness promptly.

A state-level Rapid Response Team (RRT), convened under the Health Minister, held a meeting to assess the situation and issued directives to arrange additional isolation facilities.

Travellers arriving from abroad who develop symptoms have been advised to isolate themselves and inform the health department immediately, it said.

Awareness campaigns, including those at airports, have been intensified. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant women, and children have been urged to exercise extra caution, the statement added.

Kerala had reported a few monkeypox cases in September this year, following the global outbreak of the disease.

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This file picture shows doses of Imvanex, a vaccine to protect against Monkeypox virus.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Thailand on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) reported a suspected first case of the new more dangerous strain of mpox, which the World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency.

Also read:Risk of large outbreak of mpox low in India for now, says Health Ministry official

The patient is a European who travelled to Thailand from an African country, Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the kingdom’s Department of Disease Control told AFP.

Laboratory tests are under way to confirm the strain, but officials believe it to be from Clade 1. The infected person has been quarantined in hospital.

“We have done a test and they definitely have mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2,” Mr. Thongchai said..

“We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.”

Mpox cases and deaths are surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July.

The disease, caused by a virus transmitted by infected animals but passed from human to human through close physical contact, causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.

While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain — known as Clade 1b — has driven the recent surge in cases.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark, in monkeys kept for research.

DR Congo has reported more than 16,000 cases and 500 deaths this year.

On August 15 Sweden reported the first confirmed Clade 1 case outside Africa.