First Suspected Monkeypox Case In Bengal As Youth With Rashes Admitted To Hospital

The youth visited Europe for academic reasons, he has been isolated in a city-based hospital where doctors are constantly monitoring his condition. 

The youth’s family members have not shown any symptoms. (Representational Image)

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New Delhi: A possible first case of Monkeypox has been detected in Kolkata. A youth who recently visited Europe had rashes and similar symptoms to the viral disease. The state health department has withheld the identity of the youth as the final test report from the National Institute of Virology in Pune is still awaited, reported news agency IANS.

The state department of health didn’t take any risk after detecting the symptoms since he had visited Europe, where many cases of Monkeypox have been reported. The Director of Health Services, Siddhratha Neogi, said that there is no reason to panic right now, as whether the youth has the infection can only be confirmed after receiving the report from the National Institute of Virology, the IANS report said further.

The youth has been isolated in a city-based hospital where the doctors are constantly monitoring his condition.

The family members of the Youth have not shown any symptoms so far, though they have been asked to remain alert and report to the hospital if there’s any suspicion of similar symptoms. 

Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic disease, its virus is transmitted from one person to another through close contact with infected people, their body fluids and their clothing or bedsheets.

Most patients only experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more severe illnesses may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.

Though there is no vaccine approved for Monkeypox in Europe, the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 approved a vaccine called 'Jynneos' to prevent infections, which also protects against smallpox.