India confirms first death from monkeypox in Asia

India confirmed its first death from monkeypox on Monday, a young man in the southern state of Kerala, in only the fourth known death from the disease in the current outbreak.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said she had tested positive in the UAE before returning to India.

“We were informed that the person had been tested on July 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for monkey pox, and it was positive. So, at that time, the authorities at the private hospital, they informed the health department and our team went there. and unfortunately this person died on July 30 in the evening,” George said on Monday.

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India’s federal health ministry had no comment on the death, except to say the government had formed a task force of senior officials to monitor cases of monkeypox in the country, which local media have reported reported at least five infections.

On June 3, 2022, health workers screen passengers for symptoms of smallpox at the Anna International Airport terminal in Chennai, India.
(ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

The World Health Organization said late last month that 78 countries had reported more than 18,000 cases of monkeypox, most of them in Europe.

He says the monkeypox virus causes a disease with less severe symptoms than smallpox and occurs mainly in central and western Africa. The disease is transmitted from animals to humans.

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Person-to-person transmission occurs through contact with body fluids, injuries to the skin or internal mucosal surfaces such as the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.