Monkeypox BIG UPDATE: Kerala reports 5th case, patient had traveled to UAE

New Delhi: Kerala has reported its 5th Monkeypox case on Tuesday (Aug 2) as per an ANI report. The patient, aged 30 years, is currently undergoing treatment in Malappuram and had retured from UAE on July 27 according to a statement by Kerala Health Minister Veena George. Those who were in close contact with him, including his parents, are being closely monitored. The first patient was discharged and the condition of others was stable, the minister added.

First Monkeypox death in India

India, on Monday, confirmed its first death due to the monkeypox virus, a man in Kerala, in what is only the fourth known fatality from the disease in the current outbreak. Earlier last week, Spain had reported two monkeypox-related deaths and Brazil its first. The death in India is also the first in Asia. 

The 22-year-old Indian man died on Saturday, Kerala`s revenue minister told reporters, adding that the government had isolated 21 people who had come in contact with him.

Monkeypox spreads globally

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global health emergency on July 23. The WHO said late last month that 78 countries had reported more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox, the majority in Europe.

(With agency inputs)