Five in Kerala, three in Delhi and one death: Mapping India's 8 monkeypox cases

With India reporting two more cases of monkeypox infection -- one each in Kerala and Delhi -- the country’s tally has reached eight now, including one death of a Kerala youth, who had tested positive in UAE. 

The first case of the disease in India was reported on July 14 — a 35-year-old person who returned from the UAE, the second case — in a 31-year-old man who arrived in Kannur from Dubai on July 13 — was confirmed on July 18.

The third case of the rare zoonotic disease was also reported in the southern state -- a 35-year-old in Malappuram district, again in a traveller from United Arab Emirates, who reached Kerala on July 6.

The fourth monkeypox case was reported in Delhi and was different from the other three in the aspect that it had no history of foreign travel. The 34-year-old, a resident of Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, had, however, gone on a holiday to Himachal Pradesh last month with his male friends. He has recovered from the disease and discharged from the hospital. 

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The Kerala government, on Monday, had confirmed that the 22-year-old man, who died on July 30, tested positive for monkeypox making the fatality the first such one in the country. The youth, however, had tested positive in UAE on July 22 while his parents informed the hospital here about it on July 26 after his condition worsened. 

Delhi saw its second and India’s sixth case on Monday as a 35-year-old Nigerian man, living in national capital but also having no recent history of foreign travel, tested positive for the virus. 

On Tuesday, Kerala and Delhi reported one case each, taking their tallies to five and three respectively. The one reported in the national capital is again a Nigerian nation with no recent history foreign travel. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Globally, several thousands of cases of monkeypox have been reported from a large number of countries and death in many cases also being reported due to this viral zoonotic disease.

The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre says that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.

It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation.