India has reported its first case of the highly contagious monkeypox subtype 1B, a traveler from the UAE.
The Health Ministry spokeswoman confirmed on Monday that the first case of this new strain had been recorded, after reports that it had been detected in the Malappuram district of Kerala state in southern India last week.
Authorities in Kerala state said last week that the patient was a 38-year-old man who had come from the UAE and was admitted to a government hospital in the area.
The doctor in charge of the health situation in the state’s Malappuram district told Reuters on Monday that the patient’s contacts at home, numbering about 29 of his friends and family members, in addition to the 37 who were on the flight, are being traced.
The medical official pointed out that none of them have shown symptoms of monkeypox infection so far.