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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala reported the first case of suspected monkeypox on Thursday.
The affected person who returned from abroad has been admitted to a hospital in the state after he showed symptoms of monkeypox, state health minister Veena George said on Thursday.
His samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune for testing, she said, adding that the disease could be confirmed only after getting the test results.
Without revealing more details, George said the person showed symptoms of monkeypox and he was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.
With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has emerged as the most important orthopoxvirus for public health.
(With inputs from PTI)