Dubai returned man tested positive for MPox in Karnataka

A case of MPox has been reported in Karnataka after a 40-year-old man who recently came from Dubai tested positive for the virus, the health officials said on Thursday. This is the first case of Monkeypox reported in the state this year, they said.

"A case of Monkeypox (MPox) has been confirmed on January 22, 2025 by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune in a 40-year-old male in Mangalore, a native of Karkala (Udupi district)," the health department said in a statement.

The said patient, who has been residing in Dubai for the past 19 years, arrived in Mangaluru on January 17, 2025.


According to the health department, upon his arrival, he exhibited symptoms of rashes and had a history of fever two days prior. He was promptly isolated at a private hospital, and his MPox samples were referred to Bangalore Medical College (BMC) and subsequently to NIV, Pune.

The person is stable and does not have any serious complications. He is likely to be discharged shortly.

The department has advised public not to panic on the reporting of the said case in view of the mild nature of the disease as well as its much lesser infectivity.

"But they are advised to watch for common symptoms associated with the disease like skin rashes along with fever, headache, muscle aches, chills, sweating, sore throat and cough and get themselves tested, especially if they have a travel history to countries declared as high risk for this virus or if they have been in very close contact with persons affected with M Pox," it stated.

The statement further said, "Though there is a vaccine for M-Pox which is generally advised for high risk population like the health care workers but the same is not advised by Government of India presently in view of very insignificant number of cases of M-Pox detected till date."