Monkeypox Reaches India? Youth With Monkeypox-Like Symptoms Admitted To Hospital In Kolkata

Speaking to the media, the authorities said that the young man from West Midnapore was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata with 'rashes' on his body and other symptoms.

A student from Kolkata, West Bengal has been admitted to a private hospital today with symptoms -like monkeypox. According to the reports, the youth recently returned from a European country. Speaking to the media, the authorities said that the young man from West Midnapore was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata with 'rashes' on his body and other symptoms.

"The sample of the youth has been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune for testing as we suspect this as a case of monkeypox," one of the doctors was quoted as saying. The doctors have said that the patient is kept in isolation and his lab reports are awaited. The authorities of Midnapore Jila have also alerted the other people who came in contact with the man recently.

"There is no reason to panic as whether the said youth has been infected by monkeypox can be confirmed only after receiving the report from the National Institute of Virology," the Director of Health Services, Siddhratha Neogi told the media.

Monkeypox Spreading Rapidly

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday confirmed that there is a 77 per cent weekly increase in the number of lab-confirmed monkeypox cases and currently there are over 6,000 cases worldwide. Monkeypox, which was only found in the areas of South Africa has now become a global health issue after several cases of infection are reported from various parts of the world. Most of the cases were reported in Europe and Africa.

Addressing the media, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he remained "concerned by the scale and spread of the virus," noting that over 80 per cent of the cases turned up in Europe.

Symptoms of Monkeypox

Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus that belongs to the smallpox species. According to the available data, this virus infection is considerably less severe and has a minimal risk of infection. It is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. Some of the symptoms which are associated with the Monkeypox virus infection are:

1. Fever
2. Persistent headache
3. Muscle aches and backache
4. Swollen lymph nodes
5. Chills
6. Extreme exhaustion

(With inputs from agencies)