Thiruvananthapuram/IBNS: Kerala Wednesday registered India's second monkeypox (Mpox) case with a 38-year-old man from Malappuram testing positive after returning from the United Arab Emirates, state health minister confirmed.

The patient has been isolated and is being treated following established medical protocols.

Health Minister Veena George said that the patient, on noticing symptoms, acted correctly by isolating himself from his family and was then got admitted at the state-run Manjeri Medical College.

In a Facebook post, George urged the public to seek treatment and inform the Health Department if they displayed any of the known symptoms.

Nine days ago India reported its first case when a young man, who had travelled from western Africa, tested positive for the virus in Delhi.

He is reported to be stable and isolated to prevent the virus from spreading.

The government had earlier said there is no indication of widespread risk to the public at this time, explaining that testing had confirmed the presence of 'clade 2' of the virus in the country and that this particular strain is "similar to 30 cases reported earlier in India, from July 2022 onwards".

Last week the government issued directives to all state and union territories to "review public health preparedness, particularly at health facility level at state and districts by senior officials".