2nd Monkeypox case puts India on alert; Govt calls for strict screening of international arrivals

New Delhi, July 18: The Centre on Monday directed ports and airports to make sure strict health screening of all international travellers to contain the spread of monkeypox. This comes after India reported its second case from Kerala.

The meeting was attended by airport and port health officers and regional firectors from regional offices of Health & Family Welfare, the government said in a statement.

"They were advised to ensure strict health screening of all arriving international travellers which can minimize the risk of importation of monkeypox cases into the country. They were advised and re-oriented in clinical presentation of monkeypox disease as per MoHFW's 'Guidelines for Management of Monkeypox Disease'," it said.

A 31-year-old man from Kannur in Kerala tested positive for monkeypox on Monday, making it the second confirmed case of the disease in India, a Union health ministry official said.

The patient had landed at the Mangalore airport in coastal Karnataka from Dubai on July 13. He was admitted to a hospital after he exhibited symptoms of the disease. His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune, and they tested positive for the virus, the official said.