India today reported its second confirmed case of monkeypox when a 31-year-old man who came from Dubai last week was diagnosed with the infection, just three days after the first case came to the fore.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said today (July 18, 2022) that the second monkeypox patient, who arrived in Kerala on July 13, is undergoing treatment at a hospital and his health condition is stable.

The minister also said that all those who were in close contact with the second patient are being closely monitored, our New Delhi correspondent reports.

On July 15, India reported its first monkeypox case in Kerala when a resident who returned from the UAE was found with symptoms of the virus. His samples were sent to the virology lab in Pune which confirmed the infection.

George said surveillance at the airport will be intensified and if anyone found with symptoms, steps will be taken to isolation and ambulances have been arranged to shift them to hospitals.