Monkeypox: Kerala steps up vigil, issues special alerts to 5 districts
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): The Kerala government on Friday stepped up vigil to prevent spread of monkeypox, issuing special alerts to five districts, a day after the southern state reported the country's first case of the rare virus infection.
After chairing a high-level meeting here, state Health Minister Veena George said special alert has been issued to five districts as people from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam were co-passengers of the infected person in the Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram Indigo flight that landed here on July 12.
There were 164 passengers and six cabin crew on board, the minister said and added that isolation facilities will be set up in all these districts.
The minister said 11 people who were in the seats next to him are in the high risk contact list.
The parents of the patient, an auto driver, a taxi driver, a dermatologist of a private hospital where the infected person sought the treatment first and his 11 co-passengers who were sitting next to his seats in the flight are now in the primary contact list.
"Passengers who have traveled in this flight should conduct self-monitoring and report to the health officials if they develop any symptoms of virus infection in 21 days. As the phone numbers of many are not available, they are being traced with the help of the police", George said in a statement.
The minister said the health workers are in touch with the people who were suspected to have come in contact with the infected person and if they have fever or any other symptoms, they will be tested including for COVID-19. Tests to detect the monkeypox will also be conducted if they are showing any symptoms of the disease.
Immigration clearance officers and those who handled the patient's baggage at the airport also figure in the surveillance list.
Expressing satisfaction over the patient's health condition, the minister said all districts in the state have been alerted and specialist training will be provided to health workers to deal with the monkeypox cases.
She also warned against spreading false propaganda.
India reported its first case of monkeypox on Thursday, with a Keralite who returned from the UAE testing positive for the virus, prompting the Centre to rush a high-level multi-disciplinary team to collaborate with the State Health Authorities in instituting public health measures.
The case was confirmed through the testing of the samples of the symptomatic person at the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
The country's first case of the virus was reported on a day when the Centre asked states to ensure screening and testing of all suspect cases at points of entry and in the community as part of India's preparedness against the disease.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
