Monkeypox: Kerala confirms India’s first death and isolates 20 contacts

BBC News:

India has confirmed its first death caused by monkeypox in the southern state of Kerala.

A 22-year-old man, who had recently travelled to the state from the United Arab Emirates, died on Saturday.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said the man had initially tested positive for the virus abroad. Samples tested after his death also detected the virus, she said on Monday.

This is the fourth monkeypox death reported globally, outside of Africa.

Twenty close contacts of the man have been categorised as “high risk” and isolated, the minister told reporters.

These include his friends, family and nine people he recently played football with.

The illness is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency last month.