Monkeypox has been confirmed for the youth from Chavakkad who died at a hospital in Thrissur on Saturday. It is the first monkeypox death reported in the country.
The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, tested the swab taken from the patient’s skin lesion for monkeypox and found it affirmative. The youth arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on July 22. The lab confirmed the West African variety of monkeypox for him. The lab would conduct a more accurate genetic test for the virus soon, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.
Earlier, Health Minister Veena George said that the youth had tested positive for monkeypox on July 19 when he was in the UAE.