3 Monkeypox Cases in Delhi, 8 in India, Says Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

The central government has formed a task force to monitor the spread of monkeypox cases in the country.

A 35-year-old Nigerian man living in Delhi tested positive for monkeypox on Monday, 1 August. Image used for representational purposes. 

(Photo: iStock) 

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, 2 August, that India has recorded a total of eight confirmed cases of monkeypox and one case of death.

Three of these eight cases were recorded in Delhi, and the one death was reported in Kerala.

Five of these cases have a history of foreign travel, Mandaviya added, according to ANI.

"No disease should be taken lightly. In case of monkeypox disease as well, awareness is important. Indian government has constituted a task force under NITI Aayog. It happens through deep contact. One should take all precautions. However, there is no need to be scared," the health minister was further quoted as saying.

"The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has successfully isolated the monkeypox virus and an expression of interest has been floated for research institutions, vaccine and diagnostic kits manufacturers in India to take the virus strain for further research to develop a vaccine in the country."

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya

Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said that his firm is conducting research to find a vaccine against monkeypox.

Poonawalla reportedly briefed Health Minister Mandaviya on the subject during a meeting at the Nirman Bhawan in Delhi on Tuesday.

Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal on 1 August requested Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman, executive director and International Health Regulations focal point, the United Arab Emirates, to intensify screening which ensures that people exhibiting symptoms of the virus are not allowed to board flights in an attempt to minimise the risk of transmission.

Nigerian Man Living in Delhi Tests Positive

On Monday, 1 August, a 35-year-old Nigerian man living in Delhi tested positive for monkeypox, news agency ANI reported.

Dr Suresh Kumar from Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital told ANI that the man has "maculopapular and vesiculopustular rashes over the thighs, face, etcetera."

The report further added that the man has a low-grade fever and skin lesions, and he is housed at an isolation facility.

Meanwhile, the Medical Superintendent Nursing Homes and the Delhi government directed three private hospitals to create at least ten isolation rooms for monkeypox cases. Five rooms will be used to manage suspected cases of the virus while the other five will be used for the management of confirmed cases.

The hospitals that have been roped in are:

• Kailash Deepak Hospital, Vikas Marg Extension, east Delhi

• MD City Hospital, Model Town, north Delhi

• Batra Hospital and Research Centre, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, south Delhi

First Death Recorded in Kerala 

On 30 July, Kerala's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Veena George, also confirmed that India's first monkeypox patient, who was being treated at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, had recovered from the disease.

The central government on Monday formed a task force to monitor the spread of monkeypox cases in the country.

It further said that over 6,000 cases of monkeypox and three deaths have been reported across 60 countries.

Monkeypox is a zoonosis, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. It falls in the same category of viruses such as smallpox, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), but is considered clinically less severe.

(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)

(Corrigendum: This report had originally quoted the total number of monkeypox cases recorded in India as being seven and has been updated to reflect that the tally cited by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was eight. The error is regretted.)