Kerala: Youth with symptoms of Monkeypox dies, govt to probe 'delay in seeking treatment'

A day after the death of a 22-year-old man due to Monkeypox in Thrissur, which could be India's first death due to the virus, the Kerala Health Minister, Veena George claimed that a high level inquiry will be conducted into the matter. The man who had tested positive abroad, died at a private hospital in Thrissur on Saturday July 30.

The delay in the man's treatment after his arrival from the UAE would also be investigated, Kerala's Health Minister George added.

"The health department of the state called a meeting in Punnayur after his death and a contact list and route map of the deceased youth have been prepared," the Health Minister further stated.

With the swab results of the deceased patient yet to be reported, the health minister said that the patient was young, did not suffer from any other illness or health problems and therefore, the health department was looking into the cause of his death.

"This particular variant of monkeypox is not as highly virulent or contagious like COVID-19, but it does spread. Comparatively, the mortality rate of this variant is low. Therefore, we will examine why the 22-year-old man died in this particular case as he had no other illness or health problems," the minister told media.

The minister also said that there were no studies available about this particular variant from other countries where the disease has been detected and thus, Kerala was carrying out a study on it.

Monkeypox: 18,000 cases from 78 countries

The WHO has reported over 18,000 cases from 78 countries. "The Monkeypox outbreak can be stopped if countries, communities and individuals inform themselves, take the risks seriously, and take the steps needed to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO on Thursday.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, which belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox. It is endemic to the regions of West and Central Africa but in the recent past, cases have also been reported from non-endemic countries, said WHO.