India reports its first death from Monkeypox in Kerala. The youth who died in Thrissur had tested positive for monkeypox in UAE, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said.
The 22-year-old youth, a native of Punniyoor in Thrissur, died at a private hospital in Thrissur, days after he returned from the UAE. The government said that while the results of the test done in the UAE confirmed the presence of the monkeypox virus, a probe would be conducted to ascertain the cause of death.
“The youth had no symptoms of monkeypox. He had been admitted to a hospital with symptoms of encephalitis and fatigue. His relatives handed over the test result only on Saturday (July 30). A high-level probe would be held into the death as monkeypox has a very low fatality rate,’’ said the minister.
The state health department has sent his samples to the National Institute of Virology’s Alappuzha unit in Kerala.
India has so far had four confirmed monkeypox cases, three of them in Kerala.
The monkeypox outbreak has seen more than 22,000 cases in nearly 80 countries since May. There have been 75 suspected deaths in Africa, mostly in Nigeria and Congo.
