Delhi Man With No International Travel History Tests Positive For Monkeypox

Bhubaneswar: Delhi has reported its first monkeypox case, taking the infections of the viral disease in India to four on Sunday.

The patient is a 34-year-old man male resident of Delhi with no international travel history. He was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital as a suspected case of monkeypox and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, later confirmed the diagnosis as he tested positive for the infection, the PBI said in a release.

The patient, however, had travelled to Himachal Pradesh before falling sick, the Indian Express said in a report.

The close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine. Further public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, and testing sensitisation of private practitioners are being carried out. A high-level review of the situation has been planned by DGHS at 3 pm, the PIB added.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged people not to panic. “The situation is under control. We have made a separate isolation ward at LNJP. Our best team is on the case to prevent the spread and protect Delhiites.”

The first monkeypox case in India was reported from Kerala on July 14. Four days later, the state confirmed its second case of monkeypox and the third on July 16. All these patients had a history of international travel.

With over 16,000 cases reported from 75 countries in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox to be a public health emergency of international concern.