THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala on Thursday reported the first suspected case of monkeypox. The victim who returned from abroad has been admitted to a state hospital after showing smallpox symptoms, state Health Minister Veena George said on Thursday. His samples have been sent to the Pune National Institute of Virology for testing, he said, adding that the disease could only be confirmed after the test results were obtained. Without revealing further details, George said the person was showing symptoms of monkeypox and was in close contact with a monkeypox patient abroad. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans by animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although clinically it is less severe. With the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the subsequent cessation of smallpox vaccination, monkeypox has become the most important orthopoxvirus for public health. (With PTI tickets)