Suspected case of monkeypox reported in Nepal
Kathmandu, Jun 16: A 26-year-old Nepalese national who returned from Dubai was admitted to a tropical and infectious disease hospital here on Thursday after he exhibited symptoms of monkeypox.
According to officials at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, the man was referred to the hospital by health workers at the Tribhuvan International Airport's health desk, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
The man has been suffering from fever for the last week and has rashes all over his body. We have isolated him and begun treatment. Further investigation will be carried out in coordination with agencies under the Health Ministry, The Post report quoted Dr Manisha Rawal, director at the hospital, as saying.
This year, over 1,600 confirmed and almost 1,500 suspected cases of monkeypox have been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from 39 countries including seven where monkeypox has been detected for years, and 32 newly-affected countries.
The global outbreak of monkeypox is "clearly unusual and concerning", WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday as he announced to convene an emergency committee next week to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.
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Fact- checker Mohammed Zubair schools Uttarakhand CM over “PR call” to Tripura student’s family
New Delhi/Dehradun: Journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair on Monday criticised Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over what he described as a delayed response to the killing of Tripura student Anjel Chakma in Dehradun, calling the chief minister’s outreach a “PR call” after days of public outrage.
In a post on X, Zubair pointed out that Anjel Chakma was attacked on December 9 and died on December 26 after weeks of treatment. He noted that the incident was reported by local media and discussed on social media on the very day of the attack, while national media covered it from December 27 onwards. Zubair said widespread outrage persisted online for two to three days before the chief minister finally spoke to the victim’s family.
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“Finally Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami wakes up and decides to do a PR call,” Zubair wrote, questioning the timing of the response rather than the assurance itself.
Zubair’s remarks came shortly after the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s Office said Dhami had spoken to Anjel’s father, Tarun Prasad Chakma, and assured strict action against those responsible. Dhami expressed condolences and said the culprits would be given the harshest punishment. The chief minister also said he had spoken to Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh regarding the case.
A video of Dhami speaking to the victim’s family on his phone was also shared later by ANI and other media outlets. Zubair made the tweet while replying to the video of X.
Anjel Chakma, a 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, was allegedly assaulted by a group of youths in the Selakui area under Premnagar police station limits on December 9. Police said Anjel and his brother Michael were attacked with knives and blunt objects following an argument. Anjel suffered serious injuries and later died while undergoing treatment.
So far, five accused have been arrested, while one suspect, believed to have fled to Nepal, remains absconding. Uttarakhand Police have announced a reward for information leading to his arrest.
The killing triggered protests and candlelight marches in Tripura, particularly by members of the Tipra Indigenous Students Federation and other student bodies, who have demanded swift justice and highlighted concerns over repeated attacks on people from the Northeast in other states.
Political reactions have also followed, with Congress leaders linking the incident to what they describe as a climate of normalised hate. Against this backdrop, Zubair’s post has added to the debate by shifting focus to the timing and optics of the state government’s response, rather than its stated assurances alone.
