India reported its first Monkeypox death after a 22-year-old youth succumbed to the infection in Thrissur district in Kerala on Saturday. Out of the four Monkeypox cases reported so far in India, three are from Kerala.
The man had returned from the UAE a couple of days ago and had no external symptoms commonly associated with Monkeypox. He was admitted to a hospital in the city on July 27.
The youth was infected with the disease while he was in the UAE itself, it has been learned. He traveled by suppressing the information.
The deceased hailed from Kuranjiyur near Guruvayur in Kerala. He died on Saturday morning, according to health officials from the States.
“He had conducted tests a day before coming to India. According to the report, he was Monkeypox positive,” the State’s Health Minister Veena George said on Sunday.
“The State Government has constituted a high-level committee with members from the medical education department. It has been asked to submit a detailed report as death due to Monkeypox is unlikely,” she added.
According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) official data published on July 22, around 16,016 Monkeypox cases were confirmed between January 1 and July 22.
However, only five deaths were reported although the cases were spread across 75 countries.
Spain and Brazil reported the first cases of deaths outside Africa on Friday. The deaths reported in Africa were from Nigeria (three) and the Central African Republic (two).