Thiruvananthapuram (TIP)- A man who returned from the UAE has tested positive for monkeypox in Kerala, state Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday, July 14. He landed at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Tuesday and is “quite stable, with all vitals normal”, she said.

The central government has sent a team, which has experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to assist the state. “There is nothing to worry about or to be anxious about. All the steps are being taken and the patient is stable,” the state minister told news agency ANI, sharing no further specifics about the patient. She said his primary contacts have been identified — his father, mother, a taxi driver, an auto driver, and 11 fellow passengers from adjacent seats. She had said hours earlier that “a person who returned from abroad” is admitted to a hospital with symptoms of monkeypox. His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology.

Also earlier in the day, the central government wrote to states to take precautions. Concerned over cases in Europe and America — monkeypox is rarely reported outside Africa — the government had in May issued guidelines about isolation and contact-tracing.

The virus causes fever symptoms besides distinctive bumpy rashes. That is usually manageable, though one of two strains is more dangerous. The Congo strain causes death in up to 10 per cent of the patients. The West African strain is milder, with a fatality rate of around 1 per cent.

It was first found in monkeys in 1958, hence the name. Rodents are now seen as the main source of transmission. It spreads through close contact, both from animals and, less commonly, between humans. Two months ago, scientists were alarmed after a few cases of monkeypox — which hardly occurs outside Africa’s western and central regions — were reported or suspected in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain.

It puts virologists on alert also because it is in the smallpox family. Smallpox was eradicated by vaccination in 1980, and the shot has since been phased out. But that vaccine also protects against monkeypox, so the winding down of vaccination could be behind new cases, experts have said.

What is Monkeypox Virus?

Monkeypox is an infectious disease that is usually mild and is endemic in parts of the west and central Africa. It is spread by close contact, so it can be relatively easily contained through measures such as self-isolation and hygiene. Most of the cases reported so far have been detected in the UK, Spain, and Portugal.” The vast majority of reported cases so far have no established travel links to an endemic area and have presented through primary care or sexual health services,” the UN agency said.

Monkeypox Risk, Moderate? WHO Explains Why

WHO expert Dr. Rosamund Lewis, in a video shared by the world health body on Saturday, explained why the risk of the Monkeypox has been said to be “moderate”. Lewis answered various questions related to the disease and also assured that it causes mild illness.

“Most people who contract the virus do not become seriously ill. However, the risk has been described as moderate because it’s spreading to locations where it has never been reported before. So this new pattern of spread is concerning. So WHO aims to identify where the risk may be, and who may be at risk. This is the message we’re sending – If you know your own risk, you can lower your risk,” she explained.

WHO Quells Fears, Suggests Guidelines to be Followed

WHO talks in favor of home assessment when deciding to isolate and care for a person with suspected or confirmed infection with the mild uncomplicated disease in a home setting. It also says that symptoms in mild cases should be constantly monitored as well as a patient’s mental health. Extra precaution should be followed while handling cleaning linens, and household surfaces and during waste disposal recommends WHO.

All patients should be advised to abstain from sexual activity until all skin lesions have crusted, the scabs have fallen off and a fresh layer of skin has formed underneath”, the guidelines note.

Patients at high risk for complications namely young children, pregnant women, and those who are immunosuppressed or with severe or complicated infections should be admitted to the hospital for closer monitoring and clinical care under appropriate isolation precautions to prevent transmission.

Newborns of infected mothers should be constantly monitored, and “infant feeding practices, including whether to stop breastfeeding for a mother infected with the virus, should be assessed on a case-by-case basis”.