The tissue sample taken from the 22-year-old person who died in Kerala on Saturday, sent to the National Institute of Virology, tested positive for monkeypox.
This is the first monkeypox death reported in the country. The 22-year-old, from Thrissur district, travelled to Kerala from the UAE, even after he was tested positive for monkeypox in Dubai. Among the four monkeypox cases reported in the country so far, the first three were also in Kerala—all among those who were in the country from the UAE—and the fourth one was in Delhi.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the person who died on Saturday had tested positive for monkeypox in Dubai on July 19. He travelled to Kerala on July 21 night and reached his home in Thrissur the next morning. By July 27, he took treatment at a private hospital near his house following fever and giddiness. From there he was referred to a private hospital in Thrissur city. His family members informed the doctors about the monkeypox test done in Dubai only on July 30. By that time the patient’s condition had turned critical, little after which he died.
The specimen taken from the person was tested at the National Institute of Virology in Pune, and was found to be infected by the West African variant. Further genome sequencing and detailed study by experts were being done, Pinarayi said, and urged the citizens not to hide any monkeypox-related symptoms.
State health department sources said that the delay in taking timely treatment for monkeypox could be the reason for the death, as its fatality rate was very low. The infected youth was said to be not showing any visible symptoms of monkeypox, even after he came down to Kerala. Hence detailed studies to determine the variant was required, said a doctor in the state health services.
About 20 persons, including his family members and his friends who received him at the Kozhikode international airport and played football with him, were considered to be in high-risk group. There were 165 passengers in the flight in which he arrived in Kerala. Though none of them were in the primary contact list, they would need to remain in self-observation for 21 days as per protocols, said the chief minister.
The first monkeypox death outside Africa was reported in Brazil and Spain recently. So far, monkeypox cases were reported from around 78 countries. The World Health Organisation declared monkeypox as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ on July 23.
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