Delhi reports India’s 4th monkeypox case

A 34-year-old man in Delhi with no history of foreign travel has tested positive for monkeypox virus, making it the fourth case of the infection in India and the first in the national capital.

The man had attended a stag party recently in Manali in Himachal Pradesh, official sources said yesterday, adding that he was admitted to the Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital in New Delhi around three days ago after he showed symptoms of monkeypox.

His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune on Saturday which came out positive, the sources said. "Contact tracing process has been initiated," they said.

Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from the southern state of Kerala.

A high-level review of the situation has been planned by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) yesterday evening.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox as a global public health emergency of international concern.

In South-East Asia region, besides India, one case has been detected from Thailand also.

Meanwhile, the WHO yesterday called on countries in South-East Asia region to strengthen surveillance and public health measures for monkeypox.

"Monkeypox has been spreading rapidly and to many countries that have not seen it before, which is a matter of great concern. However, with cases concentrated among men who have sex with men, it is possible to curtail further spread of the disease with focused efforts among at-risk population," Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of WHO South-East Asia Region, said.

Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries.

The European Union's drug watchdog on Friday recommended for approval the use of Imvanex, a smallpox vaccine, to treat monkeypox.

Imvanex, developed by Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, has been approved in the EU since 2013 for the prevention of smallpox.

It was also considered a potential vaccine for monkeypox because of the similarity between the monkeypox virus and the smallpox virus.

The first symptoms of monkeypox are fever, headaches, muscle pain and back pain during the course of five days.

Rashes subsequently appear on the face, palms of hands and soles of the feet, followed by lesions, spots and finally scabs.