Kerala to revise Mpox rules after reporting India's first new strain case

The Kerala health department announced plans to release revised guidelines for the prevention and treatment of Mpox, a decision that came in the wake of the southern state reporting the country's first confirmed case of the new strain on Monday. The State Level Rapid Response Team (RRT) held a meeting to assess the overall situation in the state. After the meeting, state Health Minister Veena George said instructions have been given to take necessary action if the number of cases increases. "Isolation facilities have been set up in all districts, and monitoring has been strengthened, including at airports. Currently, testing facilities have been arranged in five laboratories. If required, testing facilities will be expanded to more labs," she said in a statement. Although the minister, in her statement, did not mention that the first confirmed case of the Mpox strain in India was found in a patient from Kerala, she announced that revised guidelines for the prevention and effective