All districts put on high monkeypox alert

Condition of patient satisfactory, 16 persons on primary contact list

All districts have been put on high alert following the confirmation of monkeypox in a 35-year-old man, a native of Kollam district, who had flown into the capital three days ago, Health Minister Veena George said after chairing a meeting of officials here on Friday.

Five districts — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam — have been put on special alert as the flight contacts of the patient belonged to these districts. These people have been put on surveillance for 21 days and health workers would contact these persons twice a day to watch out for symptoms. In case they developed fever or any other symptoms, they would be subjected to all tests, including COVID-19.

Tests would be conducted for monkeypox if any individual exhibited a symptom specific to the disease. Isolation facilities are being readied in all districts and at all medical college hospitals. The Health department is setting up a monitoring cell at the State level. All districts are being given clear guidelines. Monkeypox had been reported in 65 countries and as travellers from these nations were arriving in the State, all four international airports had been asked to maintain vigil.

Central team

Meanwhile, a high-level multidisciplinary team despatched by the Centre to Kerala for supporting the State in adopting appropriate public health interventions and conducting outbreak investigation arrived in the State on Friday. The team will work closely with State health authorities in instituting public health measures. They will take stock of the situation on the ground and recommend necessary interventions. The Union Health Ministry is also monitoring the situation in other States and is on the alert for any possible outbreaks.

The team members include P. Ravindran, Adviser to the Health Ministry; Sanket Kulkarni, Joint Director, National Centre for Disease Control, New Delhi; Arvind Kumar Achra, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology; and Akhilesh Thole, Dermatologist, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohya Hospital, New Delhi.