New Delhi: A 34-year-old man from the national capital has been confirmed as the first case of monkeypox virus in Delhi, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Sunday. This is overall the fourth case of the disease in India. As per official sources cited by news agency PTI, the man has no history of foreign travel. 


"A 34-year-old male resident of Delhi was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital as a suspected case of Monkeypox. A confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune," a statement by the health ministry read.


It further informed that the infected individual is presently recovering at the designated isolation centre at Lok Nayak Hospital. 


The close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine as per the MoHFW guidelines. 


"Further public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners etc, are being carried out," the ministry mentioned.


The man had attended a stag party recently in Himachal Pradesh's Manali, official sources told PTI. He is informed to be a resident of West Delhi and was admitted to the Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital around three days ago after he showed symptoms of monkeypox.


Monkeypox Cases In Kerala


Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala.


A 35-year-old man, who came to Kerala from the UAE earlier this month, had tested positive for monkeypox, making him the third case of the virus from the country as well as the state.


The second patient, a native of Kannur in north Kerala, arrived in the southern state on July 13 and was undergoing treatment at the Pariyaram Medical College.


The first case of monkeypox, a rare but potentially serious viral illness, was reported from Kollam district of south Kerala on July 14.


WHO Declares Monkeypox Global Health Emergency


The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern.


Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets.


With over 16,000 cases reported in 75 countries so far, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom said that the risk of monkeypox is “moderate globally and in all regions” and that the risk factor in the European region has been assessed to be high.


According to reports, it is the seventh time that such a declaration has been made by the health organisation since 2009, the most recent being COVID-19.


Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far due to the outbreak.


In the WHO South-East Asia Region, besides India, one case has been detected in Thailand. 


ALSO READ | WHO Declares Monkeypox Global Health Emergency As 16K Infections Reported In 75 Countries


(With Agency Inputs)