CM Arvind Kejriwal assures 'no need to panic' after Delhi man tests positive for Monkeypox

In a recent update, a 34-year-old man from the national capital Delhi with no history of foreign travel has tested positive for the monkeypox virus, the Central government said in a statement. This is the fourth case of the disease being reported in India.

Best team on the case to prevent the spread: Delhi CM Kejriwal

Following this, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said, “The first case of Monkeypox was detected in Delhi. The patient is stable and recovering. There's no need to panic. The situation is under control.”

“We have made a separate isolation ward at Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP). Our best team is on the case to prevent the spread and protect Delhiites,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal added. 

The statement by the Central government further read, "a male resident of Delhi was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital as a suspected case of Monkeypox. A confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by the National Institute of Virology in NIV of Pune." According to sources, the patient is presently recovering at the designated isolation centre at Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi. All close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) guidelines. 

Furthermore, public health interventions like identification of the sources of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners, etc are being carried out. A high-level review of the situation has been planned by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) today.

Monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern: WHO

Notably, three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala. The WHO on Saturday declared Monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets. 

According to sources, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far due to the outbreak. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, besides India, one case has been detected in Thailand.