India’s First Monkeypox Patient Completely Cured: Kerala Health Minister

The test results of his family and all people in the primary contact list are also negative.

India's first monkeypox patient has recovered from the virus. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Shutterstock)

India's first monkeypox patient, who was being treated at the Government Medical College in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has recovered from the disease, state Health Minister Veena George said on Saturday, 30 July.

The 35-year-old man from Kerala's Kollam had returned to the state from the United Arab Emirates on 12 July and sought medical treatment on the same day as his close contact abroad had tested positive for monkeypox. On 14 July, upon testing positive for the virus, he was put under isolation and care at Thiruvananthapuram MCH.

"All samples were negative twice. The patient is physically and mentally healthy. The skin bumps are completely cured. He will be discharged today," George said.

She noted that since it was the first case of monkeypox in the country, tests were conducted twice at an interval of 72 hours as per the instructions of the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

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.

The patient's close contacts in his family, as well as several co-passengers on his flight from UAE and others, were under 21-day surveillance by the health department.

The test results of his family and all people in the primary contact list with him are also negative, the minister informed.

Other Monkeypox Cases in India

The second case of monkeypox was a 31-year-old Dubai-returned man. The third case was recorded on July 22, the patient is a resident of Malappuram who arrived in the state on July 6 and started showing symptoms from July 13. The fourth case was detected in a man from Delhi with no history of foreign travel.

Two more cases of monkeypox were also discovered in Kerala and the patients are currently undergoing treatment at the government medical colleges in Pariyaram, Kannur district, and in Manjeri, Malappuram district.

At present, the health condition of the two other persons remains satisfactory, the minister said.

Prevention and surveillance measures are to continue with the same vigour and the health department’s awareness creation programmes for the public are ongoing as well.

According to WHO, over 6,000 cases of monkeypox and three deaths have been reported across 60 countries.

"The clinical presentation of monkeypox cases associated with this outbreak has been atypical, as many cases in newly-affected areas are not presenting with the classically described clinical picture for monkeypox (fever, swollen lymph nodes, followed by centrifugal rash)," said WHO in a statement.