Kerala confirms country’s second case of Mpox in UAE returnee

The Kerala government on Wednesday confirmed that a 38-year-old man being treated for Mpox symptoms in Malappuram has been diagnosed with the infection. This is the second Mpox case reported in the country.

State health minister Veena George said that the man tested positive after returning from the United Arab Emirates, NDTV reported.

After noticing the symptoms, the man isolated himself from his family, said George, adding that he was hospitalised at the state-run Manjeri Medical College.

While Mpox is not a new disease, it is a rare infection caused by the monkeypox virus. The illness was previously known as monkeypox. Clade 1 and 2 are the two types of the virus that causes Mpox.

While clade 1 is responsible for the current rise of cases in Africa, clade 2 is the type that caused the global outbreak that began in 2022. Historically, clade 1 caused higher numbers of severe illnesses than clade 2, with up to 10% of people dying from it.

Recent outbreaks have seen much lower death rates of about 1-3.3%.

In a post on Facebook on Wednesday, George urged the public to seek treatment and inform the health department if there were any symptoms.

Mpox leads to rash and flu-like symptoms and spreads through wild animals like rodents and primates mainly in parts of Africa, according to the United Kingdom’s National...

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