A man has been admitted to Pariyaram Medical College and Hospital in the Kannur town of Kerala in a suspected case of monkeypox, news agency PTI reported, quoting the local medical authorities. The man had gone abroad and returned to Kerala on Saturday. He got himself admitted to the hospital after he experienced symptoms of monkeypox after landing at the Mangaluru International Airport from Dubai, the report said.
"The samples of the patients have been sent for testing and the infection can only be confirmed after the results are out," District Medical Officer (DMO) Narayan Naik was quoted as saying.
The hospital is yet to receive the test results, The Hindu said in a report late Sunday.
According to an IANS report, hospital authorities said his samples have been sent to the Pune Virology lab for tests.
The 31-year-old patient is reportedly under observation and has been kept in an isolation ward at the medical college hospital.
Earlier, the first case of monkeypox in the country was reported from Kerala on Thursday, after which a Central team had been sent to the state.
The man from Kollam had returned from the UAE on July 12, and the Kerala health authorities comfirmed on July 14 that he had monkeypox. He is currently undergoing treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.
The disease can be transmitted only by prolonged close contact with a patient. The Kerala health department has said those with symptoms should immediately report to nearby hospitals to seek treatment and self-quarantine so the disease is not spread to others.
The department has increased surveillance at all five airports in the state, and special facilities have been set up in Kannur airport to test those arriving from foreign countries, the IANS report said.