Dhule : Maharashtra has recorded its first confirmed case of monkeypox in Dhule. The patient, who has been living in Saudi Arabia for the past four years, returned to his hometown in Garib Nawaz Nagar on October 2 for his daughter’s wedding.
Shortly after his arrival, he developed skin-related symptoms, prompting the attending doctor to suspect monkeypox and alert the Dhule Municipal Corporation’s health team. Blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for testing. Both the initial and confirmatory tests returned positive.
Health officials reported that the patient is diabetic and is experiencing a slower recovery, with his condition being closely monitored by medical teams.
Experts have highlighted that two variants of monkeypox are currently circulating globally, with the Clade-1 strain being rarer and more contagious. To date, India has reported 35 monkeypox cases, with Dhule marking the state’s first.
