Delhi reports 8th monkeypox case as 30 yr old Nigerian woman tests positive; India's tally rises to 13

New Delhi: Delhi reported its eighth monkeypox case on Friday. A 30 year old Nigerian woman has tested positive for monkeypox in the national capital, said sources.

This is the country's 13th case of the viral disease.

The woman has been admitted to LNJP Hospital, they said.

According to the sources, another person suspected to be suffering from monkeypox has also been admitted to the Delhi government run hospital.

Earlier, ICMR conducted a study on India's first fatal case of monkeypox from Kerala.

The first fatal case of monkeypox in India highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion to diagnose the viral disease in those presenting with atypical manifestations, exanthematous fever with epidemiological linkage from endemic or outbreak countries, according to an ICMR study.

The study, 'A fatal case of monkeypox virus infection from Kerala India 2022' has been published as pre-print and has not been peer reviewed.

Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched the Monkeypox Vaccine Equity Pilot programme to support innovative, non-traditional ways to address disparities in monkeypox vaccination, said the US health agency.

Local, state, and territorial health departments, as well as tribal governments and local non-governmental organisations, can partner together and begin submitting requests to access monkeypox vaccine through the programme.

This new pilot programme is intended to reach population that may face barriers to monkeypox vaccination, which may include differences in language, location of vaccination sites, vaccine hesitancy, mistrust of government, lack of access to on line scheduling technology, disability issues, immigration status and stigma, the CDC added on Thursday.