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Delhi reports 4th monkeypox case as Nigerian woman tests positive; takes India's tally to 9

Delhi reported its fourth case of monkeypox on Wednesday, with a 31-year-old Nigerian woman testing positive for the virus, official sources said.

Delhi reports 4th monkeypox case as Nigerian woman tests positive; takes India's tally to 9 snt
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New Delhi, First Published Aug 3, 2022, 9:26 PM IST

Delhi reported its fourth case of monkeypox on Wednesday, with a 31-year-old Nigerian woman testing positive for the virus, official sources said. With this case, India's tally of monkeypox infections has gone up to nine. She is the first woman in India to test positive for monkeypox. 

According to sources, the woman is being treated at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital for skin lesions and fever. Her samples were sent for testing, and the findings were positive on Wednesday. According to authorities, there is no evidence that she recently travelled abroad.

The first monkeypox patient in Delhi was discharged on Monday from the LNJP hospital. 

Also read: Avoid sharing towels, wash hands and more: Health Ministry releases dos, don'ts to prevent spread of Monkeypox

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. 

The global health organisation claims that monkeypox is a viral zoonosis, or a virus that spreads from animals to people, with symptoms comparable to smallpox but clinically less severe. The illness often presents with fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes and can cause a variety of health issues.

The condition often has a two- to four-week symptom duration and is self-limited. According to the Center's "Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease," big respiratory droplets—which typically need prolonged close contact—are the main mechanism of human-to-human transmission.

Indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected individual, as well as direct touch with body fluids or lesions is other ways in which it can be spread. Animals can spread diseases to humans by biting or scratching them or by preparing bush meat.

Also Read | Task force set up to closely track monkeypox virus in India

Monkeypox typically has an incubation period of six to thirteen days and a case fatality rate of up to 11% in the general population and greater in children in the past. The case fatality rate has recently been between three and six per cent.

The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy. A notable predilection for palm and soles is characteristic of monkeypox, the guidelines stated.

(With inputs from PTI)

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