The Centre on Sunday held a high-level review meeting after a 34-year-old man from the national capital with no history of foreign travel tested positive for the monkeypox virus, making it the fourth case of the disease to be reported in the country.
The latest patient, who is presently recovering at a designated isolation centre at the Lok Nayak Hospital, had attended a stag party in Manali in Himachal Pradesh, official sources told PTI.
A resident of West Delhi, the patient was isolated at the Hospital around three days ago after he showed symptoms of the disease. His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, on Saturday which came out positive, Union Health Ministry officials said.
The close contacts of the patient have been identified and are under quarantine as per the Ministry of Health's guidelines. Asking people not to panic, Kejriwal said the patient is stable and recovering. Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala.
The World Health Organisation on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern.
According to WHO Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the cases are concentrated among men who have sex with men.
Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions.
