UAE returnee dies of suspected Monkeypox in Kerala

George added that this patient’s samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology for confirmation after the doctors treating him suspected he was suffering from Monkeypox.

She told to reporters: “The young man returned from the UAE on 21 July. He was admitted to a private hospital on 27 July after he developed fever, encephalitis, and swollen lymph nodes.”

According to the health minister, the deceased did not have any rashes on his body at the time of admission.

‘Details shared late’

George said her ministry learnt that the man tested positive for Monkeypox on 19 July in Ras Al-Khaimah in the UAE only after his death.

“This particular variant of Monkeypox is not highly virulent or contagious like Covid-19. Comparatively, the mortality rate of Monkeypox is low. Therefore, we will examine why the 22-year-old man died as he had no other illness or health problems,” the health minister said.

“We will also inquire why there was a delay in sharing the test results from the UAE authorities,” George added.

She also said that the health department had notified the district administration and an inquiry was underway on why the patient reached the hospital in such a condition without early detection.

The health minister further added that India’s first Monkeypox patient, a 35-year-old man from Kollam, was discharged from the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday after recovering from the disease.

According to health department officials of the state, there are currently two active cases of Monkeypox in Kerala, and their condition is stable.