Kerala Man Under Observation for Suspected Mpox After Returning from Dubai

Malappuram: A suspected case of monkeypox (Mpox) has been reported in Kerala’s Malappuram district, involving a 38-year-old man who recently returned from Dubai.

The individual, exhibiting symptoms of the disease, is currently undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Manjeri. His samples have been sent for testing.

Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George, while addressing the media, stated that the man had recognised the symptoms and self-isolated at home before visiting the hospital’s outpatient department.

“He had isolated himself in a separate room with attached toilet facilities and took necessary precautions. Further action will be taken once we receive the test results,” George said from Delhi, where she is scheduled to meet Union Health Minister JP Nadda today.

Mpox, caused by a virus related to smallpox, typically results in skin rashes, deep lesions and scars, along with fever and flu-like symptoms. The disease spreads through close skin contact and is generally self-limiting, though severe cases can be fatal.

Kerala had issued an alert in August following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) declaration of the Mpox outbreak in Africa as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The state recorded its first case of the disease in 2022.