Immigration officers and those who handled the patient’s luggage at the airport are also on the watch list.
The Kerala government on Friday stepped up vigilance to prevent the spread of monkeypox, issuing special alerts in five districts, a day after the southern state reported the first case of infection with the rare virus in the country.
After chairing a high-level meeting here, state health minister Veena George said a special alert had been issued in five districts as people from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam were co-passengers of the infected person on the Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram Indigo flight which landed here on July 12.
There were 164 passengers and six crew members on board, the minister said, adding that isolation facilities will be set up in all these quarters. The minister said 11 people occupying the seats next to him were on the high-risk contact list.
The patient’s parents, a car driver, a taxi driver, a dermatologist from a private hospital where the infected person first sought treatment and his 11 co-passengers who were seated next to his seats in the flight are now in the main contact list.
Read also : What is monkey pox? Know the symptoms, causes, prevention
“Passengers who traveled on this flight should self-monitor and report to health authorities if they develop symptoms of viral infection within 21 days. As the phone numbers of many are not available, they are traced with the assistance of the police,” George said in a statement.
Minister said health workers are in contact with people suspected of having been in contact with the infected person and if they have a fever or any other symptoms they will be tested, including for COVID-19 . Tests for monkey pox will also be done if they show symptoms of the disease.
Immigration officers and those who handled the patient’s luggage at the airport are also on the watch list.
Expressing his satisfaction with the patient’s condition, the Minister said that all districts in the state had been alerted and that specialized training would be given to health workers to deal with cases of monkeypox. She also warned against spreading false propaganda.
India reported its first case of monkeypox on Thursday, with a Keralite who returned from the United Arab Emirates testing positive for the virus, prompting the Center to rush a high-level multidisciplinary team to collaborate with health authorities in the country. state to institute public health measures.
The case was confirmed by testing samples from the symptomatic person at the National Institute of Virology in Pune.
The first case of the virus in the country was reported on a day when the Center called on states to ensure screening and testing of all suspected cases at ports of entry and in the community as part of preparedness for the India against disease.
(Inputs from the agency)
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